Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid made his long-awaited return to action at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, April 2 in the Wells Fargo Center.
The 30-year-old spent more than two months on the sidelines due to a meniscus injury in his left knee, and he opened up about the mental toll of this setback.
"Usually, when I have injuries, I just tell myself, move on to the next one, get better, and then fix it. But this one took a toll mentally, being depressed. It was not a good one," the reigning MVP told reporters after the game.
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In his return, Embiid delivered a solid performance, scoring 24 points on 6-of-14 shooting in less than 30 minutes of gameplay.
He also contributed six rebounds, seven assists, and three steals as the Sixers secured a crucial 109-105 victory against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
Joel Embiid Officially Will not Repeat as MVP due to Injury
Embiid was a frontrunner for the NBA MVP award before his injury, highlighted by his 70-point game against the San Antonio Spurs in January 2024.
However, his injury occurred shortly after this performance, rendering him ineligible to contend for the MVP due to new league rules.
The NBA now mandates that players must participate in at least 65 games in a season to qualify for major awards like the MVP and All-NBA.
With only six games remaining in the Sixers' season, Embiid would have played in a maximum of 41 games if he participated in all of them.
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