Joel Embiid Reveals His Health Outlook After Season-Ending Loss to Knicks

A year ago, Joel Embiid thought he might be done.

He was two years removed from winning the NBA's Most Valuable Player award, and he was on track to go back-to-back before he tore his meniscus at the end of January 2024. He's never been the same, although he was far better this year than he was during his injury-ravaged 2024-25 campaign.

After the Sixers' season-ending loss to the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Sunday, Embiid said that as frustrated he was with losing again, he couldn't help but consider the season a success for him individually.

"For me, this was a success. I came into this year not knowing where I was gonna be, how long I was gonna play, if I was even gonna play based on how the knee was the last few years. I came in just hoping for the best.

"And I feel like we're in a position where we figured out the knee. It hasn't been an issue. If it wasn't for the oblique or some of the other stuff I had, it would have been different as would have how many games I would have played."

"I know we lost. ... But for me, this was a success."

Although the Sixers got swept, Joel Embiid is grateful to finish the season in good health 💯 pic.twitter.com/h6Lc1em4I9
— ESPN (@espn) May 10, 2026

Embiid's knees have been a consistent issue throughout his NBA career, but they've been particularly problematic in recent years. To hear Embiid tell it Sunday, that shouldn't be the case anymore moving forward.

"We came into this season thinking that there was not much left based on the last few years, and now I'm sitting here not even worried about my knee. Even after all the stuff that's happened, people falling on me. Obviously, you're gonna have setbacks as you go along, but those setbacks have been so much different than it's been in the past.

"I hate losing, but I thought I was done. That's the best way to put it. And then I found something and we found something as a group to figure out what it takes and what we have to do to make sure we're in quite frankly a better position next year to play a lot of games."

If those aren't empty promises, that could be a game-changer for the Sixers.

Can Embiid finally stay healthy-ish?

Embiid explained that the hip and ankle problems that caused him to miss Game 2 against the Knicks could be tied back to his appendectomy.

"I had complications after the surgery," he said. "Even the things that I've been dealing with, they've all been related to the surgery. Because coming back early, the core is kind of weak. It's not an excuse, but everything else is affected, everything else is out of place.

"… So it kind of put me in a position where you don't have time to get ready to play. The little time that you have, you've gotta jump to playoff basketball. That's tough. But I feel like I still played as hard as I could. I fought hard. I tried to give us a better chance to win. Didn't happen. So, I look at myself and I've gotta be better."

Embiid also couldn't rule out a curse impacting him, the city of Philadelphia at large, or both.

"Maybe I've gotta go to church more so I don't have those types of things right before the playoffs," he said in reference to his long list of playoff ailments. "I don't know, maybe I'm cursed? I don't know. Maybe Philadelphia's cursed? Yes. That's a joke. Just gotta keep doing the right things over and over and hope that at some point it changes."

Few Philadelphians may have interest in seeing this group run back as is after getting swept by the Knicks. The problem is that it may be among the best of their many bad options this offseason.

What a healthy Embiid could mean

Embiid has played in only 96 of a possible 246 regular-season games over the past three years. But after injuries submarined his 2024-25 campaign, he bounced back this year to look more like his former self.

Embiid told reporters Sunday that he's hoping to play far more regular-season games next year.

"I'm as confident as I've ever been," he said. "I think obviously, that was the biggest concern. I'm not thinking about it. As long as we keep doing what we've been doing, I won't have to think about it anymore. Looking at next year, obviously being more available. And being more available would mean a high seed as a team.

"The personal goals, it doesn't matter. I know that if I'm available and I play as much as possible, everything else is gonna follow. "I'm not worried about everything else. I've accomplished everything else."

The Sixers went 24-14 with Embiid on the floor during the regular season and 21-23 without him. They did win Game 2 on the road against the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs without him, but they reeled off three straight wins upon his return to overcome a 3-1 series deficit for the first time in franchise history.

Afterward, Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla credited Embiid's return as the turning point in the series.

"What changed in the series was Joel Embiid came back."

Joe Mazzulla on what made the difference in the Celtics' series against the 76ers. pic.twitter.com/pMdKLcdxRA
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 3, 2026

And that was with an Embiid who was nowhere near 100%.

"Going into the summer, I've gotta recover from everything that's been happening," Embiid told reporters Sunday. That's first. After that, I'll probably be healthy. Just being able to actually work out, which I haven't done in a couple years. So, that's exciting.

"Going into the summer, having a chance to be more prepared body-wise and my game, that's gonna be key. I'm excited about next season."

The Sixers might not have a choice but to see whether Embiid can make good on his pledge to play more games next year. He's just beginning a three-year extension that's projected to be worth $185 million. Because of his constant availability concerns, he's widely considered to have the worst contract in the NBA. The Sixers would likely have to attach additional assets just to move off him.

If Embiid can stay healthier next year, the Sixers should be right back in the playoff mix. Whether they can snap their Eastern Conference Finals drought may largely come down to Embiid's availability in April and May.

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