Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid will miss the team’s upcoming road trip after experiencing increased swelling in his left knee after a workout Thursday, the team announced, meaning Embiid will not play in Denver for the fifth consecutive season.
The Nuggets and Sixers are set to play next Tuesday (8 p.m. MT) in a nationally televised game (TNT) at Ball Arena.
Embiid has missed 26 of Philadelphia’s 39 games this season, most recently due to a left foot sprain that was healing as the swelling in his knee occurred. He will be re-evaluated in seven to 10 days, according to the 76ers’ statement Friday. The Nuggets will visit Philadelphia on Jan. 31.
The last time Embiid played in Denver was Nov. 8, 2019. Since then, he and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic have battled for MVP votes on an annual basis. Jokic won the award in 2021 and 2022, with Embiid finishing as the runner-up both years. Jokic was the runner-up to Embiid in 2023, but he reclaimed the trophy last season while injuries derailed Embiid’s campaign.
Through those years, Nuggets fans have grown increasingly embittered by Embiid’s absences in Denver, where the teams meet once every season. One fan’s “missing person” sign with Embiid’s face on it became an emblem of local efforts to mock the Philadelphia superstar. Last season, he was a last-minute scratch at Ball Arena because of knee soreness, prompting Nuggets coach Michael Malone to question whether the 76ers violated the NBA’s Player Participation Policy.
“I don’t know how you go from being active, available, to out. And I’m sure the league will do their due diligence, because that’s frowned upon,” Malone said. “And we’ve had situations this year where we talked to the league, and they told us if a player goes from being active to out, there’s going to be an investigation. So I’m sure that’ll happen. And I’m sure that Joel, he hurt his knee in the (previous) game. Like, that’s real. … I’m sure he is hurt.”
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