Joel Embiid has been playing fantastic in the first three games of the playoffs, but he apparently has to deal with a condition. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the 2023 NBA MVP has a mild case of Bell’s Palsy and is being treated for it.
“ESPN Sources: Sixers star Joel Embiid has been treated for a mild case of Bell’s palsy 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.“
Adrian Wojnarowski
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Bell’s palsy is a condition that causes sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face. Often the weakness is short-term and improves over weeks. The weakness makes half of the face appear to droop. Smiles are one-sided, and the eye on the affected side is hard to close.” The most common reason is an injury to the cranial nerve.
However, that didn’t stop the former Kansas Jayhawk to dominate in Game 3. He dropped a playoff-high 50 points with eight rebounds and four assists. Additionally, the Sixers ultimately narrowed the gap and had a chance to tie the series in Game 4. Tyrese Maxey added 25 points and Kelly Oubre, Jr. had 15.
The game was chippy, to say the least. For instance, Embiid and Donte DiVincenzo shouted at each other after the former yanked Mitchell Robinson’s leg. In addition, he also nailed Robinson on the grain one other time and flattened out OG Anunoby with a screen.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t seem like Embiid’s minor case of Bell’s Palsy is affecting him that much. Game 4 of the Philadelphia 76ers–New York Knicks series is on Sunday, April 28, at 1 PM EST.
