The inevitable will no longer be delayed. The Philadelphia 76ers have made the difficult decision to shut down Joel Embiid for the remainder of the 2024-2025 NBA season.

On Friday afternoon, the Sixers released an official statement regarding the future of Embiid. While plenty of question marks remain, the superstar big man is sure to miss the rest of the season.

via Sixers: “The Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid have been consulting with top specialists regarding ongoing issues with his left knee. After further evaluation, it has been determined that he is medically unable to play and will miss the remainder of the season to focus on treatment and rehabilitation.

“We are working with medical experts to determine the exact treatment plan and will update media when we have more information. The team and specialists will continue working with Joel to ensure the best path forward for his long-term health and performance.”

@SpikeEskin: As unlikely as it is, it would be amazing to see Joel Embiid be great again. If not, he’s still the best Sixers player I’ve ever seen and I feel lucky to have not only watched him but been able to publicly talk about it. Good luck big guy.

@mdelNBA: The Embiid stuff really sank in today. A potentially tragic ending to a career that brought so many people joy and hope. Joel will go down as one of my favorite athletes ever man.

@SixersJustin: Rest up @JoelEmbiid. One of the most talented players in NBA history. I still believe he could come back and be 100%. The NBA world needs Joel Embiid in it. This franchise needs a finals win with Embiid as our best player. His story is not over.

@SixerDaily: See ya in October 🫡 @JoelEmbiid

After Embiid’s 2023-2024 regular season was cut to 39 games due to a knee injury, which required surgery to fix, the star center planned to be on a strict injury management plan throughout the 2024-2025 NBA season. Missing games was a part of the plan. Missing a majority of the season was not.

While Embiid could play through small stretches, his knee would swell up frequently, leading the Sixers to rest him for long periods. When Embiid returned from a 15-game absence on February 4, he would compete in six of the next eight matchups. For the February 24 matchup against the Chicago Bulls, Embiid was ruled out again. He missed the following game against the New York Knicks.

With a 20-38 record, the Sixers are bordering on making the Play-In Tournament or keeping their top-6 protected pick in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. With the odds of competing for an NBA Championship at its lowest since Embiid and the Sixers started making the playoffs years ago, it doesn’t seem logical to keep him in the lineup if he’s not improving.

Embiid finishes the 2024-2025 campaign with 19 games he played. He averaged 24 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.

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