Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid had a successful appendectomy in Houston on Thursday, according to the team.
The Cameroonian center was originally ruled out of Thursday night’s game against the Houston Rockets due to illness, which was later confirmed to be appendicitis.
The eighth-seeded 76ers (43–36) are still locked in a close race in the Eastern Conference as they try to avoid the postseason play-in tournament. They trail the sixth-place Toronto Raptors (44–35) by one game with three remaining. Considering the nature of the surgery and similar outcomes for players in the past, Embiid will most likely miss the Sixers post-season, which will come as a bitter blow to him after overcoming knee issues which delayed the start to his season.
At 32, Embiid is averaging 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds across 38 starts this season. The 2022–23 MVP and seven-time All-Star has career averages of 27.6 points and 10.8 rebounds in 490 games since being selected third overall in the 2014 NBA Draft.