Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid will undergo arthroscopic surgery next week on his left knee, the team announced on Wednesday.
The 76ers said the decision was made “following consultations with medical experts.”
Embiid was shut down for the season on February 28 after featuring in only 19 games as he continued to struggle with the same knee he had surgery on back in February 2024.
The 31-year-old was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the 2022-23 season and was scoring points at a historic pace last campaign, before being injured in an unfortunate collision with the Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga in January 2024.
Embiid underwent surgery and returned to action in April 2024 but was unable to help the Sixers advance in the playoffs, losing in six games to the New York Knicks in the first round.
He then represented Team USA at the Paris Olympics and was largely underwhelming in the gold medal-winning campaign, but there was apparently no sign of an injury.
However, Embiid again began having issues with his left knee as he started to ramp up ahead of the current season, with rest periods and different treatments failing to remedy the problem.
The decision was finally taken to shut Embiid down for the season as the 76ers, who came into this year believing they were title contenders, floundered near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
It has been a miserable, injury-plagued season for Philly, with marquee signing Paul George also being shut down for the season following ongoing problems with his groin and knee.
Star guard Tyrese Maxey has also missed the last 16 games with a hand injury, but hasn’t yet been shut down for the season.
Philadelphia rookie Jared McCain was among the leading contenders for Rookie of the Year before his season was ended following surgery for a torn meniscus.
The Sixers are currently on a nine-game losing streak and sit 13th in the East.
