Why is Joel Embiid "not sure" about playing in All-Star game 2023?

Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid recently raised some concerns regarding his health ahead of the All-Star break. Following Philadelphia's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Embiid mentioned that his health may not see him available for the All-Star game.

Joel Embiid is undoubtedly one of the best big men in the league. With tremendous skill and agility at his size, Embiid is an absolute offensive machine.

As the NBA's scoring leader for the season, the 76ers superstar plays a huge role for the 76ers. However, reports have suggested that he has been playing through injury.

Given that he has a bad history with injuries as a whole, the big man has still managed to play through it for the most part this season. But it appears that the superstar won't be able to ignore his health issues moving forward.

The 76ers superstar put on an absolute clinic against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. In the process of leading his team to a win, Embiid also led the scoring charge with 29 points and 14 rebounds.

Following the game, however, he brought up some major concerns regarding his health. As per The Athletic's Rich Hoffman, he said:

"I’m not sure. I'm not healthy. I haven’t been healthy for the past three weeks or month. I was just trying to get to the All-Star break without missing games and stuff, but I feel like I’ve reached a point where I really need to follow the doctor’s advice."

He added:

"Back then, he said I should have been sitting for two weeks. We’re going to see how the next few days go and go from there."

Joel Embiid missed a number of games earlier in 2023 due to a foot injury as well. Having sat out a game as recently as late-January, it is evident that the big man hasn't recovered properly.

This is certainly a major concern for the 76ers moving forward. While the All-Star break could be an appropriate time for the superstar to recuperate, the All-Star game may be an added burden.

---

Joel Embiid may join the long list of injured superstars

The All-Star weekend is one of the most exciting events in the NBA calendar. With some of the most talented players coming together for a weekend of basketball extravaganza, fans eagerly await the All-Star weekend.

While the Friday and Saturday night events are expected to go as planned, the main event on Sunday - the All-Star Game - may see yet another amendment.

After the initial list of players selected for the All-Star game was announced, it was evident that a few players would be unavailable due to injury. However, as time has passed, more players have been sidelined.

With players such as Steph Curry and Jaylen Brown likely to miss the All-Star game, Joel Embiid may become the latest addition to that list. Needless to say, the prospect of having yet another superstar dropout is quite disheartening for the fans.

However, the Philadelphia 76ers may be better served by letting their star recover. With title aspirations in mind, Philadelphia needs Embiid to be healthy to make a successful postseason run.