After breaking personal record, Embiid reveals he has facial paralysis

After writing down 50 points and guarantee the victory of Philadelphia 76sixers over the New York Knicks on Thursday (25), for the playoffs of NBA, Joel Embiid revealed that he was dealing with a moderate case of Bell’s palsyon the left side of the face.

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Characterized by a dysfunction in the facial nerve, causing weakening of the facial muscles and paralysis on one side of the face, the athlete stated that he has been receiving treatment since before the match against the Miami Heatvalid for play-in, on April 17th.

“I think it all started a day or two before the Miami game. I had severe migraines and thought it was nothing. It’s really annoying, you know, with the left side of my face, my mouth and my eye… So it’s been difficult. But I don’t give up, I have to keep fighting,” said Embiid.

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Playing even under these conditions, Joel tried his best to hide the situation, so as not to create distractions. However, videos of the spasms on the left side of his face began to go viral and raise questions.

Despite the situation, the pivot, who is the 76sixers’ main player, had a great performance, reaching the highest score of his career in the playoffs, with 50 points scored and guaranteeing the victory by 125 to 114.

“I was lucky to have hit some shots. But, you know, I have to keep holding on, pressure or not. I have to keep trusting myself, especially because my physical abilities are somewhat limited,” said the Philadelphia player.

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Embiid admitted that the partial paralysis affected his vision, causing it to become blurry. He said he needs to put eye drops in his eyes to keep them from getting too dry.

“I just hope it stays that way,” Embiid said, smiling. “I have a beautiful face. I don’t like it when my mouth is turned the other way. It’s an unfortunate situation. But everything happens for a reason. I need to take care of myself mentally.”

The Knicks lead the overall series 2-1 against Philadelphia, with the next game scheduled for Sunday (28), at 2:00 pm (Brasília time), with broadcast from ESPN through Star+ (subscription streaming).

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