PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid started for the Philadelphia 76ers in their preseason finale on Friday night, his first game action in nearly eight months.
Embiid was limited to 19 games last season because of injuries.
The 76ers were planning for Embiid to have “fairly short” stints in the preseason matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said before the game.
Embiid didn’t take long to get going — he tried a 3-pointer, which missed, on Philadelphia’s first possession just seven seconds into the contest. He played about six minutes in his first stint to open the game, then played the first three minutes of the second quarter for his second stint.
It was Embiid’s first game since Feb. 22. He missed the first nine games of Philadelphia’s 2024-25 season, never played more than four consecutive games and wound up being shut down for the final 26 games of the year as the 76ers sputtered to a 24-58 finish.
Embiid has been engaged in light practices since the 76ers opened camp and the perennially injured All-Star center has said in recent weeks that there was a “plan in place” to play following knee surgery in April.
A two-time NBA scoring champion, Embiid had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in April following an injury-plagued season that also included a sprained left foot and a sinus fracture. He was ruled out for the season in late February after averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
“I’ve had so many injuries,” Embiid said last month. “The only thing I’ve always told myself is you can’t give up.”
