Joel Embiid’s injury issues this postseason also featured a behind-the-scenes health scare.
The 76ers star has navigated what ESPN described as a mild case of Bell’s palsy, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, “causes sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face” — with that side appearing “to droop” and leading to difficulties with shutting that side’s eye.
“It’s unfortunate … got to keep pushing,” Embiid told reporters postgame, according to ESPN, while also adding that the condition has been “pretty annoying.”
Embiid’s condition was revealed after Philadelphia’s 125-114 victory against the Knicks on Thursday at Wells Fargo Center, when he set a playoff career-high with 50 points and became the first 76ers player to reach that threshold in a postseason game since Allen Iverson in the 2003 playoffs.
“There had been some speculation about why he had been wearing sunglasses and whether there was an issue with his eyes,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski wrote in a post on X before adding that it was connected to Bell’s palsy.
Wojnarowski also reported that Embiid’s health scare dated back to their play-in victory against the Heat, when he collected 23 points and 15 rebounds to help clinch the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed and set up the first-round series with the Knicks.
Embiid “wanted to keep it private to avoid distractions for his team,” Wojnarowski reported.
The reigning MVP missed a chunk of time during the regular season while dealing with a knee injury, and it directly impacted the 76ers’ chances of securing a top seed in the conference.
They were 31-8 with Embiid in their lineup.
That record dipped to 16-27 without him.
Embiid has also continued to fight through lingering knee issues during the postseason, too.
He was a game-time decision in Game 2, before combining with Tyrese Maxey — the 76ers’ other star — for 69 points in their loss to the Knicks.
And three days later, while still navigating his Bell’s palsy condition, Embiid carried Philadelphia to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole and earned a victory after the series shifted back to Wells Fargo Center.
During Game 3, Embiid was also criticized for a flagrant 1 foul in the first half when he grabbed the lower leg of Mitchell Robinson and tried to trip him while the Knicks center attempted a shot.
ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins wrote in a post on X that Embiid should’ve been ejected for that foul.
