Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls. This comes after an oblique strain in his right side kept him out for 13 games.
Embiid’s Return to Training
Embiid sustained the injury during the team’s Feb. 26 home win against the Miami Heat. He has since returned to individual on-court workouts more than a week ago. He has also participated in portions of recent team shootarounds.
Other Sixers Injury Updates
Starting guard Quentin Grimes is also listed as questionable for Wednesday with an illness. He missed Monday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Sixers will remain shorthanded even if Embiid or Grimes plays Wednesday. 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.
Embiid’s Injury-Plagued Season
Before the oblique injury, Embiid was dealing with a stress reaction in his right shin as well as a right knee issue. Those ailments kept him out of five consecutive games overlapping the mid-February All-Star break. This is the latest injury-affected season for Embiid. He 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.
A dominant stretch for Embiid was upended by these health issues. He averaged 30 points on 52.7% shooting, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 20 games between Dec. 23 and Feb. 7. He was also in contention to be named an All-Star reserve.
Playoff Positioning
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.