WATCH: Joel Embiid reveals he’s dealing with Bell’s Palsy, still managed to drop 50 points on one leg and half of his face not working

Shortly following the Philadelphia 76ers Game 3 win over the New York Knicks, Joel Embiid took the podium and discussed what’s been going on with his face since the start of the Round 1 series. 

Over the past few weeks there was a ton of speculation surrounding Embiid and why he was wearing sunglasses and rec specs during pregame warmups. Embiid has been dealing with a mild case of Bell’s Palsy – which impacts facial muscles in one-half of his face. 

Joel Embiid dealing with mild case of Bell’s Palsy

There had been some speculation about why he had been wearing sunglasses and whether there was an issue with his eyes, but that was related to the Bell’s palsy — which impacts facial muscles in one-half of face. Embiid had 50 points in Game 3 victory over Knicks tonight. https://t.co/qd2WK4TpSb

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 26, 2024

Bell’s Palsy is a condition in which there is facial weakness / paralysis due to injury to the 7th facial nerve (aka the cranial nerve). Patient’s may have issues with winking, smile asymmetry, and mouth dropping.  It’s usually caused by a virus but also can occur due to trauma.

Embiid talked about how it affects his facial muscles and eyes and said it was “unfortunate” but he was going to keep pushing. He also made it clear that he wasn’t going to make any excuses and didn’t mention it earlier because he didn’t want it to be a distraction for the team. 

Joel Embiid: “It’s been tough but I’m not a quitter…It’s unfortunate…got to keep pushing.” 

You can add that immediately to the top of the freak injuries the Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid have to deal with during the NBA Playoffs. 

Embiid just dropped 50 points to go along with eight rebounds and four assists on 13-19 shooting from the floor. He did that while playing on one leg and with half of his face.

The Philadelphia 76ers will look to even the series against the Knicks on Sunday in South Philly at 1PM.

Trust The Process.