Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid scored 50 points in a must-win playoff game against the New York Knicks Thursday night.
Embiid and his 76ers were down 2-0 in the first-round playoff series. He came up absolutely huge as the series moved to Philadelphia.
The backdrop here is Embiid not looking to be 100% after he missed extensive time in the second half of the regular season due to a torn meniscus in his knee.
We now have some more information on Embiid’s overall health following Thursday’s 125-114 win over the Knicks. It’s a bit concerning.
“Sixers star Joel Embiid has been treated for a mild case of Bell’s Palsey for the past week. The condition began during the play-in victory over Miami but he has wanted to keep it private to avoid distractions for his team.”
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Joel Embiid
Wojnarowski went on to note that there was some speculation around certain circles about why Embiid had been wearing sunglasses recently. The condition impacts facial muscles in one-half of the face.
“Bell’s palsy is an unexplained episode of facial muscle weakness or paralysis. It begins suddenly and worsens over 48 hours,” Johns Hopkins definition of Bell’s Palsey. “This condition results from damage to the facial nerve (the 7th cranial nerve). Pain and discomfort usually occur on one side of the face or head.”
Causes of Bell’s Palsey range from Diabetes and high blood pressure to injuries and infection.