By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After setting his individual best in the NBA Playoffs at 50 points on Thursday, Joel Embiid confirmed dealing with Bell’s Palsy.
“I had bad migraines and I thought it was nothing. Usually, I don’t like to check it out but for some reason I ended up having to tell somebody. That’s why that Miami game, my body was just, I was just not feeling it,” he referred to the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament win against Miami Heat on April 18.
Recovering from a knee injury, Embiid helped the Sixers finish the 2023-24 Regular Season with a 47-35 record and reach the 2024 Playoffs presented by Google Pixel. Wearing sunglasses in recent outings hinted at an issue with his eyes.
“It’s pretty annoying with my left side of my face, my mouth and my eye,” described the 2023 season MVP of the NBA, “It’s been tough but I’m not a quitter. I gotta keep fighting through anything. It’s unfortunate, that’s the way I look at it. But that’s not an excuse. You gotta keep pushing.”
“It could be weeks. It could be months,” the 30-year-old center added revealing initial discussions with doctors about his condition.
Playing through the setback, Embiid put up 37.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks per contest in a best-of-seven series against the New York Knicks. Down 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, his side hosts Game 4 in Wells Fargo Center, opening the next edition of NBA Sundays.