JOEL EMBIID’S career may be coming to an early end due to his relentless struggle with injury issues.
His poor luck with availability has already been an obstacle in a stellar but challenging career for the center.
Joel Embiid is a seven-time All-Star, but injuries have severely hampered his career[/caption]
The center missed the end of last season after having surgery on his meniscus[/caption]
Embiid underwent knee surgery in February, which ruled him out for the rest of the season.
The 31-year-old recently opened up on his injury issues and mental health struggles in a feature with ESPN.
But Keith Pompey, who reports on Embiid’s 76ers for the Philadelphia Inquirer, says his interview could be a sign that his career is drawing to a close.
Pompey told SiriusXM radio: “Rarely do you have a guy tell you how much pain and how much they are going through.
“Embiid knows that it may not be this season, but the end is near.
“Maybe he feels as though he can’t play to the level he used to.
“That was my takeaway questioning why to come out with this article at this particular time.”
Embiid’s recurring injuries have seen him miss almost half (48 per cent) of his possible appearances since being drafted third overall in 2014.
Despite this, Embiid boasts seven NBA All-Star appearances.
In his ESPN interview, the 7ft big man spoke on the pain of playing through his injuries and the balance between injury management and determination to return to the court.
He said: “It’s basically damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Because if you don’t play, then, you know, there’s this whole narrative.
“I never cared about the ‘soft’ comments.
“All I cared about was the team and my team-mates. I never wanted to feel like I was quitting on them.
“That goes back to the whole thing in therapy about not wanting to disappoint people.
“Ultimately, I guess I made those decisions. And then you got to live with it.”
Embiid’s current contract will run out in 2028/29, at which point he will have career earnings of around $500million[/caption]
At one point he even told his physical therapist during a late-night treatment session: “I don’t know if I can do it again, I can’t do another minute.”
Injury issues are no stranger to the star, who will surpass $300million in earnings this year and is still set to earn $193million over the rest of his three-year contract.
Embiid missed the entirety of his first two seasons in the NBA due to a broken bone in his foot.
But he has equal form for overcoming these battles, rallying to become the league MVP for the 2022/23 season.
Only time will tell if he can reverse his recent decline, which saw his stats line decline from an average 34.7 points per game, 11 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 2023/24 to just 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
