Joel Embiid has posted 63 points and 18 rebounds through two playoff games against the Knicks. And yet something doesn't look quite right.
The 76ers star's left eye is the subject of widespread speculation after the first two games of Philadelphia's first-round series against New York.
Though there has been no official confirmation of an injury from Embiid or his team, Embiid appeared unable to blink with his left eye in Game 2. He also shielded himself from cameras during his postgame interview.
Is Joel Embiid unable to blink with his left eye? pic.twitter.com/TxI3qlNPqH
— Talkin’ Knicks (@TalkinKnicks) April 23, 2024
So far, all the whispers around his eye are speculation. And his play has clearly not suffered during the first two games.
But as the 76ers head into a pivotal stretch of the series, returning to Philadelphia down 0-2 after a controversial ending Monday night, there will be heightened attention on anything that could affect the 76ers' chances.
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What's wrong with Joel Embiid's eye?
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Embiid is has a mild case of Ball's palsy, which began during the Play-In series vs. the Heat. The team has kept it quiet to avoid distractions for the team.
Before the diagnosis, there was plenty of speculation over a potential injury. Embiid was not listed as questionable for the second game of the series against the Knicks and no word has come out about a potential injury, to his eye or otherwise.
Liberty Ballers' Erin Grugan found footage from Game 1 in which Embiid appeared to take a shot to the eye from teammate Kelly Oubre Jr. while spacing out for a rebound. Oubre jumped toward the basket with Embiid posted underneath, and Oubre's left arm appeared to swing into Embiid's eye.
Joel Embiid has been seen struggling with his left eye since Game 1. I think I may have found why.
— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) April 23, 2024
The problems seem to have started when Kelly Oubre Jr. appeared to make contact with Embiid's face going up for a rebound in Q1 of Game 1. Video breakdown below. #Sixers pic.twitter.com/FyekSbu3yU
Embiid immediately grabbed his eye. When time was called, he left for the locker room.
MORE: Embiid insists 76ers will come back vs. Knicks
Dr. Brian Sutterer, a sports medicine specialist who has a channel on YouTube, speculated Embiid might have some "trauma to that eye, trauma to the face" that could have caused temporary nerve damage. That could prevent signals from the brain getting back to the left eye to tell it to blink, per Sutterer.
Embiid has dealt with an eye injury in the past. In 2022, Embiid missed a pair of games against the Heat after he suffered an orbital fracture against the Raptors in Game 6 of the first-round playoff series. He returned in Game 3 and wound up logging more than 33 minutes in every game he played in that series against Miami.
But Sutterer did not think the orbital fracture would likely relate to any eye injury Embiid might be dealing with now, given that he had shown no issues blinking before the start of this series against the Knicks.
Embiid has had no issues playing through whatever ailment he might have going on with his eye. And the 76ers are certainly going to hope that continues as they battle to stay in this series.
What is Bell's palsy?
Bell's palsy is a facial muscle weakness or paralysis that can appear suddenly, according to Johns Hopkins. It comes from damage to the facial nerve, but is not considered permanent. Recovery can take two weeks to six months.
What causes the nerve damage is unknown, but is reportedly linked with diabetes, high blood pressure, injury, toxins, Lyme disease, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Sarcoidosis, Myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis or infection, per Johns Hopkins.
Symptoms of Bell's palsy include the following disordered movement of the muscles like smiling, squinting or blinking, losing feeling in the face, headache, tearing, drooling, losing sense of taste on front two-thirds of the tongue, hypersensitivity to sound in the affected ear or inability to close the eye on the affected side of the face.
