More than a few fans could not help but take notice of Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid‘s left eye during Thursday’s Game 3 win over the New York Knicks. It appeared that Embiid had trouble blinking his left eye, which apparently, was caused by a mysterious injury that has just been revealed.
As it turns out, Embiid has been getting treatment for Bell’s Palsy.
Philadelphia 76ers News: Joel Embiid’s Facial Injury, Revealed
ESPN’s NBA guru Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a bombshell on Thursday night, shortly after Embiid led the Sixers to a 125-114 win over the Knicks. According to Woj, Embiid has been dealing with Bell’s Palsey, which is an unexplained form of facial paralysis:
ESPN Sources: Sixers star Joel Embiid has been treated for a mild case of Bell’s Palsey for the past week. The condition began during the play-in victory over Miami but he has wanted to keep it private to avoid distractions for his team.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 26, 2024
Woj added that there’s no problem with Embiid’s eye. Rather, the issue is actually with the muscles on his face:
There had been some speculation about why he had been wearing sunglasses and whether there was an issue with his eyes, but that was related to the Bell’s Palsey — which impacts facial muscles in one-half of face. Embiid had 50 points in Game 3 victory over Knicks tonight. https://t.co/qd2WK4TpSb
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 26, 2024
Is Joel Embiid unable to blink with his left eye? pic.twitter.com/TxI3qlNPqH
— Talkin’ Knicks (@TalkinKnicks) April 23, 2024
Bell’s Palsy is a non-serious condition that patients usually recover from fully. Treatment for the same includes medicine and/or physical therapy.
As the report indicates, Embiid’s case is considered “mild.” He obviously had no issue playing through it on Thursday as he exploded for a playoff career-high 50 points on 13-of-19 from the field and 19-of-21 from the charity stripe. For good measure, Embiid also went 5-of-7 from beyond the arc, while logging eight rebounds, four assists, and a block in 41 minutes of action.
Thanks to Embiid’s heroic effort, the Sixers have cut New York’s series advantage to 2-1.
Game 3 is on Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center.
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