Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been suffering from a case of Bell’s palsy affecting the left side of his face, mouth and eyes for more than a week, the reigning NBA MVP said after Thursday night’s playoff game.
Bell’s palsy is “an unexplained episode of weakness or paralysis of the facial muscles.” according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. It “results from damage to the facial nerve” and there is currently no known cure. Embiid said he suffered from migraines and began experiencing symptoms shortly before the Sixers’ Play-In tournament game last Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls.
“I don’t know exactly what happened but I guess it’s a normal thing. I think it started a game or two before the Miami game. I had severe migraines and thought it was nothing. Usually I don’t like to check, but for some reason I ended up having to tell someone,” Embiid said of the early symptoms during a press conference after the 125-114 victory in Thursday’s playoffs against the New York Knicks “That’s why in that Miami game, my body was just… I just didn’t feel it. Then I noticed it recently. I’m sure if you Google the symptoms you’ll know what they are. It’s quite annoying with the left side of my face, my mouth and my eyes. It’s been hard but I’m not a quitter. I have to keep fighting against anything. It’s a shame, that’s how I see things. But that’s no excuse. You have to keep pushing.
Joel Embiid confirmed that he had a case of Bell’s palsy over the past week. He said it started 1-2 days before the Play-In game against the Heat. He had migraines. It hit the left side of his face and mouth.
Embiid: “It’s been tough… It’s unfortunate.” pic.twitter.com/0EOPWlAGXx
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Embiid said the symptoms persisted.
“It could take weeks. It could take months. I just hope it stays like that,” Embiid said. “I have a beautiful face. I don’t like it when my mouth looks like that.
Embiid missed two months of the regular season with a torn meniscus, but returned in early April as the Sixers battled for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference. After scoring 29 points and 34 points in the Sixers’ first two games of their best-of-seven series against the Knicks, Embiid scored 50 points in Thursday’s Game 3. Philadelphia now trails the series 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for Sunday. afternoon.
(Photo by Joel Embiid: Bill Streicher / USA Today)