PHILADELPHIA — Add Bell's palsy to the lengthy list of injuries that Joel Embiid has dealt with throughout his career. As he tries to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to victory over the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs, the big man is dealing with a brutal condition in his face.
Amid his frequent usage of sunglasses indoors and inability to blink his left eye, speculation ran rampant about Embiid dealing with an eye issue. A report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN put a name to the issue and offered some clarity as to why it as kept under wraps until now. Embiid preferred to keep it under wraps but has had no choice but to take measures that limit the amount of light on his eyes.
Embiid said that he experienced “bad migraines” a day or two before the 76ers' play-in game against the Miami Heat — marking a period of roughly 10 days — but added that he “thought it was nothing.” He acknowledged that it left him in a worse state against the Heat but didn’t try to make too big of a deal about it.
“It's pretty annoying with my left side of my face, my mouth and my eye. It's been tough but I'm not a quitter, so gotta keep fighting, do anything,” Embiid said. “But, yeah, it's unfortunate, that's the way I look at it. But that's not an excuse. Gotta keep pushing.”
Embiid may only have one working eye but it was enough for him to demolish the Knicks to the tune of 50 points on 13-19 shooting from the field in a Game 3 win. He tallied a new career-high in points and three-pointers (five) in a playoff game as the Sixers faced the possibility of an 0-3 deficit.
“He was driving it, he was rolling downhill, he was catching and shooting quick,” Nick Nurse said, praising Embiid for being “decisive” against the Knicks defense. Shooting 5-7 from three propelled Embiid but he also stayed aggressive and put Isaiah Hartenstein in foul trouble. With New York's center having a great feel for his floater on top of being a great rebounding threat, Embiid managing to cut into his minutes was a huge deal.
Asked if he can start trusting his surgically repaired left knee more, Embiid said no but once again added that it isn’t an excuse. “Even if it's on one leg,” he said, “I'm still gonna go out there and try.”
Joel Embiid details battle with Bell's palsy during 2024 playoffs
Joel Embiid said he has “no idea” about a timetable for recovery from Bell's palsy, which has left his eye “consistently dry.” His vision is blurry at times and he has to use eye drops.
“It hasn't really necessarily gotten better. Just based on the conversations that I have that I've had, could be weeks, could be months,” Embiid said.
Embiid stressed the importance of taking care of himself mentally, as tough as that can oftentimes be. He often wonders why he has been forsaken with such awful injury luck, which reared its ugly head during the regular season, costing him two months because of a left meniscus injury. From the outset of his NBA career, the many injuries and illnesses that have kept him off the court have been just as big of a story of the magnificent feats he can pull off on the court.
Asking why it has to be him is something that happens each season as a new ailment comes along. Troubling as it may be to deal with new terrain each time out, there’s nowhere for Embiid to go but forward.
“Maybe it's just meant to be, just gotta take it as it is,” he said. “But the one thing I'm not going to do is give up. No matter what happens, gotta keep pushing, gotta keep fighting, gotta keep putting my body on the line for my family, for this city, for this team…Yeah, it goes through your mind. You can ask yourself those questions, but what are you going to do about it? Are you going to quit or are you going to keep going?”
In times like these, all Embiid can do is make sure preparation is top-notch. Not only does that amount to whatever he can do to keep his body as fresh as possible but also being there to make sure his teammates are motivated.
“His voice and his presence tonight was the biggest thing,” Tyrese Maxey said. “I know he had 50 — I just said that just like it was nothing —but his voice, his presence, his passion was huge tonight. He didn't let us get pushed around early. They were trying to push us around and be aggressive with us and he set the tone early — like, we're not going for that. We're not going out to get pushed around. It kind of led to the entire group. Guys that stepped in there got big-time rebounds, got big-time loose balls and it worked out for us.”
The 76ers have more basketball to play against the Knicks. The big man has established himself as a force even though he's also clearly being held back. No matter where and how severe the discomfort in his body is, he is going to be there for his team and his city.
However, at the same time, Joel Embiid has an important part of his body to protect as best he can.
“I've got a beautiful face,” he said. “I don't like that my mouth is looking the other way.”
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