Joel Embiid is now out for an indefinite of time after experiencing increased swelling to his left knee. He has recently dealt with a sprained left foot as well.
With the piling of injuries over the course of his ten year professional career, Embiid should seriously consider the possibility of retirement.
Why He Should Retire
Hearing that the 30-year-old superstar who just won MVP in 2023 should retire sounds blasphemous, but it’s a reality that makes sense.
Since being drafted in 2014, Joel Embiid has gotten hurt in every single season of his career. For big men, lower body injuries take a slow but steady toll.
The timeline of Embiid’s injury history:
• Fractured foot (2014-2016)
• Meniscus tear (2016-17)
• Orbital fracture (2017-18)
• Knee tendinitis (2018-19)
• Dislocated finger (2019-20)
• Partially torn meniscus (2020-21)
• Orbital fracture (2021-22)
• Sprained LCL (2022-23)
• Torn meniscus (2023-24)
• Bells Palsy (2023-24)
• Sinus fracture (2024-25)
•Sprained foot (2024-25)
•Knee swelling (2025)
Most players cannot physically or mentally recover from this much damage to their body. Embiid is not immune to this impossible road to recovery.
Embiid retiring would be a sad time for the 76ers, but it’s inevitable. He changed the culture for Philly, turning a 10-72 team into a 50+ win team in a matter of just two seasons. The problem is, the Sixers never won a championship.
The former MVP has peaked, and he won’t ever be able to reach those heights again. When he’s injured, Philadelphia struggles to win games. After signing him to a massive three-year, $192.9 million dollar contract, the deal is looking bleak.
Embiid retiring will force the 76ers to rebuild, something that they desperately need. Waiting on him to get healthy has been a repeating cycle, and the organization & fans are exhausted.
Joel Embiid’s resume includes:
- • NBA MVP
- • Olympic Gold Medal
- • 7x All-Star
- • 5x All-NBA
- • 3x All-Defensive Team
- • 2x Scoring Champion
- • All-Rookie First Team
This resume shows that Embiid has accomplished mostly everything a player could ever ask for. The elephant in the room is the missing championship, but he will unfortunately never win one at this rate.
