What matters first and foremost with the latest Joel Embiid news is, of course, his health and well-being. Basketball doesn’t matter in situations like this, and knowing the center is undergoing emergency surgery is unsettling. After what he’s gone through to get to where he is now in his career with the Philadelphia Sixers, though, it’s hard not to hope he’ll have a shot to return this season.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like that will be the case.
Let’s look at OG Anunoby, who was diagnosed with appendicitis and had surgery nearly seven years ago to the day (on April 11), and he didn’t play at all in the Raptors’ 2019 championship run. He, too, has a concerning injury history, but hasn’t dealt with nearly as much as Embiid.
As Jeff Stotts noted on X (Twitter), the average time players have missed in the past with appendicitis is 23 days.
Joel Embiid Medical Update: Appendectomies are relatively uncommon in the NBA but have occurred with players like Grant Hill & OG Anunoby undergoing the procedure. The average time lost for in-season surgery is ~23 days (10.2 games). Median = 18 days
— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) April 9, 2026
If Embiid misses 23 days, the Sixers’ season could have been over by the time he returns, as that’d put him on track to play again at the beginning of May. Philadelphia currently sits No. 8 in the East and could drop to No. 9 tonight with a loss to Houston.
In other words, there is no guarantee that the Sixers will make it to the first round, much less far enough to be still playing three weeks from now.
All of this is speculation based on looking back at the history of appendicitis in the NBA. It doesn’t mean that Embiid will miss at least 23 days. He could miss less or more.
There is a chance Embiid may not play again this season
This news is unfair on so many levels, and I’m not just talking about Philadelphia finally reaching full strength and looking like a team you didn’t want to meet in the playoffs. It’s about Embiid, who returned at the end of March after an oblique strain, to get hit with this less than a week before the start of the postseason.
He’s overcome knee surgeries and nagging pain, only to get hit with this before a pivotal road game for the Sixers. Embiid was looking like the player he once was, coming off a 34-point and 12-rebound performance against San Antonio on Monday. With the start of the postseason so close, it was hard not to get your hopes up about what he could be on basketball’s biggest stage.
Embiid (or any other player) shouldn’t have to deal with setback after setback like he has, especially given the timing of this one. He and the Sixers still had a lot of work to do this season, and just like that, it might’ve been cut short.
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