Joel Embiid injury update: 76ers star has torn ligament in right thumb, will require surgery after season

Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid has a torn ligament in his right thumb, coach Doc Rivers confirmed to media members following an MRI on Sunday. Embiid will need surgery to address the injury, but that will wait until after Philadelphia’s current playoff run comes to an end, as the big man has vowed to play through the pain in the meantime. The Sixers are in the midst of their first-round series with the Toronto Raptors, which they lead 3-1. 

“I want to play,” Embiid said after Saturday’s loss Game 4.  “I would imagine that I keep playing and probably do something after the season… It’s the playoffs. Nothing is gonna stop me. So I just got to keep going, and hope for the best.”

Embiid injured the thumb during Game 3 against the Raptors, and has been seen consistently grabbing at it and grimacing since. He had the thumb wrapped in medical tape for Game 4, but it was clearly still bothering him. He scored 21 points, but struggled from the floor (he shot just 7 of 16) and had five turnovers — his worst performance of the series, by far. Afterwards, Embiid admitted that the injury was impacting his game. 

“I’d say it was more [bothersome] when it comes to rebounding, at the free throw line and passing,” Embiid said. “I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s whatever. The bigger story is that we lost the game, we weren’t able to close it out. And we got to do a better job.”  

Rivers said Saturday that the injury can’t get any worse than it is, so that’s a silver lining of sorts. Thus, for the rest of the season, it will be up to Embiid — and the Sixers medical staff — to manage the pain until the injury can be appropriately addressed over the offseason. Embiid obviously has a long history when it comes to injury issues, and it’s unfortunate that he has to deal with another one after he had such a stellar season, but at least it shouldn’t keep him off the court.