Sixers star Joel Embiid upgraded to questionable to play against the Chicago Bulls
Embiid has missed 13 games with the oblique injury in his right side, which occurred during his team’s Feb. 26 home win against the Miami Heat.
Joel Embiid could be nearing his return from an oblique strain in his right side, as he is listed as questionable to play in Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls on the NBA’s injury report released Tuesday evening.
Embiid has missed 13 games with the injury, which occurred during his team’s Feb. 26 home win against the Miami Heat. He returned to individual on-court workouts more than a week ago, and has participated in portions of recent team shootarounds.
Starting guard Quentin Grimes, who missed Monday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder with an illness, is also listed as questionable to play Wednesday.
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Before Embiid’s oblique injury, the former NBA Most Valuable Player was dealing with a stress reaction in his right shin as well as a right knee issue.
Those kept him out of five consecutive games overlapping the mid-February All-Star break. Those health ailments upended a dominant — and available — stretch for Embiid. In 20 games between Dec. 23 and Feb. 7, he averaged 30 points on 52.7% shooting, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists and was in contention to be named an All-Star reserve.
This is the latest injury-affected season for Embiid, who was limited to 19 games in 2024-25 and missed more than two months in 2023-24 due to multiple surgeries on his left knee.
Even if Embiid or Grimes plays Wednesday, the Sixers will remain shorthanded. All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey (little finger sprain) and starting wing Kelly Oubre Jr. (elbow sprain) remain out. Starting forward Paul George, however, will return Wednesday from his 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
The Sixers (39-33) are fighting for playoff positioning in a crowded Eastern Conference with 10 games remaining. They entered Tuesday in seventh place, one game behind the sixth-place Atlanta Hawks and a half-game ahead of the eighth-place Orlando Magic.