Report: 76ers staffers were caught off guard by Joel Embiid’s alleged comments to ESPN on surgery

Knee problems have had Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid oscillating in and out of the team’s lineup so far in the 2024-25 campaign.

He’s appeared in just 19 games for Philadelphia with well over half of its 82-game slate in the books. Embiid has also missed each of the 76ers’ last two games amid a brutal losing streak for the squad.

Earlier this month, Lisa Salters of ESPN reported that Embiid told her he’ll likely need to undergo surgery in the offseason.

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, that caught staff members of the 76ers off guard.

“It seems inevitable that Embiid is going to be dealing with recurring swelling in the knee for some time,” Fischer wrote. “Opting for any significant procedure, of course, could force him to miss a significant portion of next season, too. By the way: Remember the recent game in which ESPN’s Lisa Salters reported that Embiid told her he likely needs offseason surgery? It’s a disclosure that took Sixers staffers by surprise, sources said. Consider it just the latest example of a thorny dynamic for team and franchise center regarding the flow of information on his health and injury status.”

Salters made the aforementioned report when the 76ers took on the Milwaukee Bucks back on Feb. 9. Embiid actually suited up in that contest and played well to boot, as he totaled 27 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Unfortunately, it was a losing effort.

Within her report, Salters shared that Embiid “said he thinks it will likely take another surgery and a long recovery period” in order to get to a place where his knee isn’t an issue anymore.

After the report came out, Embiid didn’t seem as definitive while speaking to reporters, but he didn’t seem to rule anything out.

“I think the straightforward answer is that when you’ve got something that’s inconsistent, at some point, you’ve got to do something about it,” Embiid said on Feb. 9. “We don’t know what it is. We’re looking into every option.”

For what it’s worth, some of the latest reporting on Embiid has indicated that surgery is indeed on the table as a possibility.

Embiid has unfortunately been injury-prone ever since he started out his NBA career. He has yet to suit up in 70-plus games in a single season since he was selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

The 76ers are amid a rough season with Embiid unable to stave off the injury bug. The team’s loss on Wednesday marked its ninth in a row, and that’s the longest active losing streak of any squad in the NBA right now.

Philadelphia is still vying for a play-in spot, as the team is just 2.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls for the No. 10 seed in the East, but the 76ers are certainly fighting an uphill battle.

Embiid’s status for the immediate future is unclear, but what is evident is that the 76ers will try to snap their lengthy losing streak in their upcoming game against the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, the Warriors are winners of each of their last four games and seven of their past 10.