Joel Embiid 'not sure' if he'll play in All-Star game: 'I'm not healthy'
Joel Embiid said Wednesday that he's "not sure" if he'll play in Sunday's NBA All-Star Game, citing his health.
The 76ers center made the statement after Philadelphia's 118-112 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The game was Philadelphia's last before this weekend's All-Star break. Embiid led the 76ers with 29 points and 14 rebounds.
“I’m not sure. I'm not healthy," Embiid told reporters postgame, per The Athletic's Rich Hoffman. "I haven’t been healthy for the past three weeks or month. I was just trying to get to the All-Star break without missing games and stuff, but I feel like I’ve reached a point where I really need to follow the doctor’s advice.
“Back then, he said I should have been sitting for two weeks. We’re going to see how the next few days go and go from there.”
Embiid has been dealing with foot issues all season. He had a bout with plantar fasciitis over the summer. He missed four games in November after sustaining a left mid-foot sprain. He has since missed three consecutive games in early January due to left foot soreness. He also missed a Jan. 21 game due to foot soreness.
He has been listed as questionable with the same designation in recent weeks but has played in 11 straight games as the 76ers closed 8-3 going into the All-Star break. As of Wednesday, the 76ers were third in the Eastern Conference, three games behind the first-place Boston Celtics and a game behind the second-place Milwaukee Bucks.
Embiid was named an All-Star reserve after narrowly missing out as a frontcourt starter to fellow Eastern Conference bigs Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant. He said of the vote in January: "I keep getting disrespected."
But with Durant injured and traded to the Phoenix Suns, Embiid was in line to start as an injury replacement. It turns out he might not play at all.
