Former Kansas center Joel Embiid, who was projected as the likely No. 1 overall pick in next week's NBA Draft, suffered a stress fracture in his right foot and will undergo surgery. Embiid's agent Arn Tellem confirmed the injury to ESPN on Thursday.
Embiid, who entered the draft after his freshman season, is expected to have surgery Friday.
According to Tellem, the 7-footer was injured last week. Embiid is unable to fly due to the injury, which will prevent him from attending the draft next Thursday in New York.
"Joel Embiid suffered a stress fracture to the navicular bone in his right foot," Tellem said in a statement. "He is scheduled to have surgery tomorrow. Joel will be unable to participate in any additional workouts, and will not attend the draft in New York. We will have no further comment until after the surgery."
Embiid was one of three players commonly predicted to be selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick - his Kansas teammate Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker of Duke are the others. Like Embiid, Wiggins and Parker also left school after their freshman year.
A native of Cameroon, Embiid's health was an issue before the foot injury. His season at Kansas was cut short due to a stress fracture in his back -- he was able to participate in any postseason tournaments. There was speculation that he never fully recovered.
Despite talk about his health, it appeared the Cavaliers were prepared to select Embiid, who worked out for the team last week without incident. He reportedly impressed scouts during workouts in California earlier this month.
Embiid averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks this past season as a freshman. While Embiid he is still a work in-progress on offense, his quick reflexes, solid footwork and advanced shot-blocking skills have drawn comparisons to Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon.
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