What Happened to Joel Embiid’s Eye? Why He’s Hiding Them

Following devastating loss in the second game of their first-round NBA playoff series against the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers are headed home to continue the series. The team’s star, Joel Embiid, garnered some attention after the game not just for his post-game interview, but for the way he held his head in his hands throughout the entirety of the interview.

Joel was no doubt disappointed that his team had suffered such a close loss. However, some fans began to notice that Joel hasn’t been showing off his eyes to anyone in public. Now, many want to know what might have happened to them.

While nothing has been reported related to Joel’s eyes, he showed up to a team shootaround wearing sunglasses. He seems to be wearing sunglasses whenever possible while in public. Of course, he can’t wear sunglasses while he’s playing, and there doesn’t seem to be anything obvious wrong with his eyes when he’s on the court. It’s possible that all this speculation is over nothing or that Joel is hiding some kind of injury.

While some have been focused on what he may be up to with his eye, Joel is also nursing a knee injury that kept him out of the team’s starting lineup for half the year. While Joel has continued to put up incredible numbers, he has looked tentative on that knee at times. He seems unsure whether he can trust the knee or whether he might be on the verge of reinjuring at some point.

While Joel’s eyes don’t seem to be impacting his ability to put up 30 points a night, he has yet to find a way to get his team deep in the NBA playoffs. The 76ers haven’t made it past the second round of the playoffs with Joel, even though he’s the reigning NBA MVP.

Part of the reason the team has struggled in the playoffs is that Joel, who is over 7 feet tall and 300 pounds, is usually at least somewhat injured by the time the playoffs start.

Regardless of the reason, though, many have cast aspersions on the 76ers star and what his legacy will look like if he’s never able to make a deep playoff run. Meanwhile, 76ers fans are hoping that he can work some magic and take them to the finals, even if he isn’t 100 percent healthy.

If there really is something going on with Joel’s eyes, it could have an impact on his ability to make that deep run. It’s definitely possible, though, that Joel is just being extra cautious and attempting to protect his eyes so that he doesn’t end up missing any more time in the playoffs due to injury. After all, he has had trouble with that all year, and the stakes have never been higher than they are now.