Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with appendicitis and will undergo surgery on Thursday in Houston.

The 76ers are scheduled to play the Rockets later, and had earlier ruled out Embiid for the game due to an illness.

His condition, however, turned out to be much more severe.

The team announced more updates would be provided as appropriate.

 

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— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 9, 2026

With the regular season ending on Sunday, Embiid's season appears to be over as a full recovery will take several weeks.

Philadelphia (43-36) is currently in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, and likely headed to the play-in tournament as it sits one-game back of the sixth-place Toronto Raptors with three games to go.

This is the latest setback for Embiid, who is averaging 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds but has only appeared in 38 games due to various knee and ankle ailments.

Since being named the league MVP in 2022-23, Embiid, 32, has played in just 96 regular-season games in the last three seasons.

The seven-time All-Star was coming off one of his best games of the 2025-26 season, tallying 34 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots in Monday's 115-102 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.