"Embiid punched em in his sh*t": Fans react as Paul George seemingly appears with a black eye in latest video

Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George caught the attention of many NBA fans when he appeared in a video with what seems to be a black eye.

On Tuesday, the latest episode of "Podcast P with Paul George" was released on YouTube, and a clip of the podcast was posted on X (formerly Twitter) by NBALakersReport.

Fans jokingly speculated that George was punched by his Sixers teammates, 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid and rising star Tyrese Maxey.

"Embiid punched em in his shit," a fan wrote.

"Nah Tyrese smacked him," another fan said.

Several fans wondered if the six-time All-NBA selection sported a bruise around his eye:

"Is that a black eye??" a fan posted.

"Black eye?" another fan tweeted.

Others showed concern for George and wondered what happened to the nine-time NBA All-Star.

"Damn why PG look like he ain’t been getting any sleep, everything Alright ?@Yg_Trece," a fan wrote.

"What happened to you PG," another fan said.

"Is he ok???" a fan commented.

George's first season with Philadelphia has been hampered with several injuries, the latest being a tendon damage in his left pinky finger. He signed a four-year, $211.58 million maximum contract last offseason that pays him $49.2 million this season.

NBA insider reveals Paul George's desperate efforts to play

NBA insider Shams Charania said that Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George took extreme measures to be on the floor for the Sixers.

"He's been doing everything he can to be on the court to try to be available," Charania said on ESPN on Thursday. "It's to the point where he has gotten injections to play and compete over the last four or five games. That's something that players do come playoff time, not necessarily in the regular season."

George has appeared in 35 of Philly's 54 games. He is averaging just 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists on 42.6% shooting (36.3% on 3-pointers). In their most recent game — a 100-96 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 12 — the 34-year-old logged 37 minutes but finished with just two points on 1-for-7 shooting (0-for-5 on 3-pointers).

Philadelphia (20-34) has struggled with consistency this season, primarily due to the availability of its injury-riddled stars. They are outside of the Play-In picture at 11th in the Eastern Conference. They are also on a five-game skid and have dropped seven of their last eight.

The Sixers' first game following the All-Star break will be on Thursday against the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics at Wells Fargo Center.