Joel Embiid will undergo surgery to repair the torn meniscus in his left knee, the 76ers announced on Sunday.
The team did not give a timeline for the NBA superstar’s return, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Embiid is expected to miss “an extended period of time.”
The NBA insider also indicated that the “door isn’t closed on an Embiid return this season.”
“Joel Embiid will have a corrective procedure this week to address an injury to the lateral meniscus in his left knee. An update will be provided following the procedure,” a team statement read.
The news comes after it was revealed that he was diagnosed with a displaced flap of the meniscus in his left knee over the weekend and late last week the 76ers acknowledged that he was dealing with a knee issue.
The injury occurred during Tuesday night’s loss to the Warriors when Jonathan Kuminga landed on Embiid’s left leg while going for a loose ball in the fourth quarter.
Embiid had just returned to the court after missing games against the Trail Blazers and Nuggets because of knee soreness.
The 76ers are 30-18 and in fifth place in the East, one game behind the Knicks.
The issue puts a serious damper on a season in which he was having a career year in scoring.
Embiid was averaging an NBA-best 35.3 points, while pulling down 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.8 blocks per game.
He was shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from 3-point range.
The injury will have an impact on who takes home the NBA’s MVP award this season, with Embiid being in danger of not being eligible to win this year.
New rules implemented by the NBA make it a requirement for a player to play a minimum of 65 games.
Embiid had missed 14 games this season and only had three more games that he could miss in order to remain eligible for the award.
The reigning MVP was among the favorites to win this year, which would be his second consecutive year winning the award.