“We’re gonna win this series.” “We’re gonna keep fighting.” These were the promises made by the Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid, after the Game 2 loss. The big man kept his word. He finished with a career-high 50 points despite the health issues and, as per recent reports, Bell’s Palsy. But the Game 3 wasn’t without its issues.

Some major concerns, if one were to be plain. The first half alone saw Embiid with three technical fouls. The reigning MVP doled out a pair of groin hits to Knicks centers, Isaiah Hartenstein and Mitchell Robinson. And if that wasn’t enough, Robinson fell prey to Embiid once again.

As New York’s 7-foot giant was going up for a shot, Joel pulled his right ankle down, causing him to lose control of the ball and fall. Joel Embiid, for his part, doesn’t look too beat up about the whole incident. Talking to reporters in the post-game presser, he revealed that Mitch’s jumping reminded him of Jonathan Kuminga landing on his knee. And that it was the sudden self-defense that pushed him to do what he did. “I didn’t mean to hurt anybody… [but] gotta protect myself,” he said.

He also said, “I’ve been in too many situations where I’ve been on the bad end… It goes both ways. I’ve been bumped all over the place and I just keep going… just gotta keep being myself, be aggressive, and physical.”

The Kuminga incident happened following an already injured Embiid (knee). He had missed the previous two games, one of which was a highly anticipated Nikola Jokic-Embiid matchup. He had been under a lot of fire for missing it. And when the Sixers decided it was okay to let the hobbling big man take the floor against a desperate Warriors team, the result was a scary injury. Nearly everyone was certain that it was season-ending.

But then again, with Joel Embiid and his injury history, his concern for his health might hold some truth to it.

Joel Embiid has indeed been on the “bad end”

Almost a little too frequently. His debut as a 76ers star itself was delayed for two seasons on account of injuries. A broken navicular bone in his foot sidelined him in 2014-15. The healing wasn’t as progressive as the team had hoped. And just like that, Embiid’s 2015-16 season was also lost.

Forward to 2017, and he found himself with a torn meniscus on his left knee. It was the end of his 2016-17 season. His debut season and Embiid played only 31 games. The next season, too, he suffered an orbital fracture to his left eye. 2018-19 also saw him with a few injuries, but none serious enough as the initial ones.

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The next season-ending injury happened in the 2021-22 season. But it happened in Philly’s playoffs series against the Raptors. A mild concussion, a right orbital fracture, a right thumb surgery, and a procedure on the left index finger were what he received and underwent. And now we reach Kuminga and his lateral meniscus injury. And of course, the Bell’s Palsy.

Joel Embiid is yet to cross the 70-game mark. Despite it all, he has still made enough impact and noise for the franchise to trust him. And for his opponents to be worried.