76ers’ Joel Embiid battling mild case of Bell’s palsy in health scare
By Andrew CraneJoel Embiid’s injury issues this postseason also featured a behind-the-scenes health scare.
The 76ers star has navigated what ESPN described as a mild case of Bell’s palsy, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, “causes sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face” — with that side appearing “to droop” and leading to difficulties with shutting that side’s eye.
“It’s unfortunate … got to keep pushing,” Embiid told reporters postgame, according to ESPN, while also adding that the condition has been “pretty annoying.”
Embiid’s condition was revealed after Philadelphia’s 125-114 victory against the Knicks on Thursday at Wells Fargo Center, when he set a playoff career-high with 50 points and became the first 76ers player to reach that threshold in a postseason game since Allen Iverson in the 2003 playoffs.






