The Shady 76ers Are Mad At Joel Embiid For Dancing

Philadelphia 76ers fans haven’t seen much of historically great rookie Joel Embiid lately, as he’s missed 12 of the team’s last 13 games with with a knee injury. They did, however, get to see him in action at a Meek Mill concert this weekend:

From the perspective of a fretting brand manager, it’s never a good idea for an injured player to be spotted engaging in a non-sports related physical activity, even if that activity is just some shirtless dancing; no coach or GM wants to answer questions like, “If he’s healthy enough to dance, how come he can’t play?” This is presumably why Bryan Colangelo said he was “a little disappointed” in Embiid. From CSN Philly:

“It’s not the best thing to see when you wake up on Saturday morning and find out that was the case because I know the reaction,” Colangelo said of the video that surfaced of Embiid dancing, shirtless, at the show. “I understand some of the potential concern out there.”

Meanwhile, though, the Sixers are being a little bit shady about what exactly is wrong with Embiid’s knee. When he first suffered the injury on Jan. 20, the team said Embiid had a bone bruise and wouldn’t miss much time. He missed three games before playing against the Rockets on Jan. 27, and then missed another nine games. Over the weekend, Derek Bodner reported that the MRI Embiid had on Jan. 20 also revealed a slight tear in his meniscus, which Colangelo was then forced to confirm. From CSN Philly:

“There was also the recognition that there was a very minor meniscal tear. But it was not thought to be acute and it was not thought to be the source of the pain, inflammation or symptoms. That is the case.”

Since the tear is not believed to be acute, the injury “likely or could have been pre-existing,” according to Colangelo. Embiid is being treated for the bone bruise, Colangelo said.

This is not the first time the Sixers have been less than forthcoming with injury specifics, much to the annoyance of any fans who bought tickets over the last month with the expectation that Embiid would be back soon. In all likelihood, we won’t be seeing him again until after the All-Star break.