Joel Embiid’s Status vs. Nikola Jokic, Serbia Currently Unclear

Will Joel Embiid make his debut at the Paris Olympics on Sunday?

Justin Grasso | Jul 27, 2024

Jan 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) drives against Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

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Sunday was set to become Joel Embiid’s Olympic debut. After coming down with an illness, it’s unclear if the Philadelphia 76ers star will get the chance to take on Serbia, which is headlined by his fellow superstar big man, Nikola Jokic.

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Embiid came down with an illness following Friday’s events. As a result, he didn’t practice with Team USA on Saturday morning.

So far, Embiid’s playing status is unclear. While there is a chance he could miss action, USA head coach Steve Kerr noted he was “confident” the team will have everybody healthy, including Embiid.

Throughout USA’s pre-Olympic tour, Embiid was a participating member of the squad’s starting five. After battling through knee recovery throughout the final stretch of the 2023-2024 NBA season and throughout the playoffs, Embiid has been fully healthy for international play.

Sunday’s Olympic opener is a big one for the USA, considering they are taking on Jokic’s teams. At this stage, Jokic is a six-time All-Star with three MVP nods under his belt. After Embiid prevented Jokic from winning the solo award for the third season in a row, Jokic brought the trophy back to his house in 2024.

Now, the Serbian superstar is looking to help his team make a run in Paris at the Olympics.

The United States is set to take on Serbia at 11:15 AM ET. time on Sunday.

In addition to Embiid, Team USA will also closely monitor the statuses of Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis. Similar to Embiid, Davis is reportedly dealing with an illness and missed several practices recently.

Durant has been battling a calf injury, which has prevented him from taking part in any of the pre-Olympic games. Recently, Durant returned to practice. Based on Kerr’s statement, it seems Durant could be back just in time for the start of the Paris games.

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JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA