Report: 76ers C Joel Embiid considering meniscus surgery
Philadelphia 76ers AllStar center Joel Embiid is considering a surgical procedure on his injured left knee, The Athletic reported Saturday.
According to the report, Embiid has a meniscus tear specifically identified as a displaced flap.
Rest and rehab also are under consideration instead of the procedure. Surgery would require the reigning MVP to sit out an extended time.
A decision on how to proceed likely will be made by Monday.
Embiid, 29, was on pace to lead the league in scoring for the third straight season. He was averaging 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.8 blocks but played in just 34 of Philadelphia’s 47 games while dealing with injuries.
As part of the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, players must play a minimum of 65 regular-season games in order to be eligible for certain awards, including MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and the All-NBA teams.
Embiid missed games at Denver and Portland before returning to the floor Tuesday at the Golden State Warriors. He had 14 points and seven rebounds in almost 30 minutes, but he went back to the locker room with 4:04 left in the game after Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga landed on his knee during a loose-ball scrum.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse told reporters that Tuesday’s injury had nothing to do with the left knee soreness that kept Embiid out of the previous two games. On Thursday, the team was fined $75,000 for not including Embiid on the injury report in “an accurate and
timely manner” before the Denver game.
ELSEWHERE
NHL: David Pastrnak A cued up a final-minute comeback and then scored the shootout winner to give Team McDavid a 4-3 victory over Team MacKinnon in the first match of the NHL All-Star three-onthree games Saturday in Toronto.
Edmonton Oilers star
Connor McDavid also scored for the team he captains and is named in his honor, as well as during the shootout. Boone Jenner of the Columbus Blue Jackets added the other goal for McDavid’s squad, while goalie Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers was perfect in the shootout.
McDavid’s team will face the winner of the clash between Team Hughes and Team Matthews in the final later in the day, with the winning side splitting a $1 million prize that will be given to
a charity of the team’s choice.
Colorado Avalanche standout Nathan MacKinnon scored for his team — with both goals assisted by his Colorado teammate
Cale Makar and Pittsburgh Penguins captain
Sidney Crosby — and
Oliver Bjorkstrand of the Seattle Kraken also lit the lamp
After MacKinnon and Jenner traded first-half goals, Bjorkstrand and MacKinnon tallied 54 seconds apart past the midway point of the second half to earn a 3-1 lead that was poised to hold up.
However, Pastrnak beat his Boston teammate
Jeremy Swayman for a goal with 32 seconds remaining in regulation and then McDavid tallied with 5.4 seconds left on the clock. The duo assisted each other’s marker, while
Leon Draisaitl netted a pair of helpers.
This came after Swayman had denied several breakaway chances,
among them against Rasmus Dahlin, Jenner, Panthers star Sam Reinhart and Pastrnak among his nine saves in the second half.
Bobrovsky stopped eight of 10 shots he faced in his half of action, plus both chances he faced in the shootout.
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck
(McDavid) made 10 saves in the first half, while Colorado goalie Alexandar Georgiev (MacKinnon) stopped nine shots.
On Friday night, McDavid won the NHL All-Star Skills Challenge, the fourth time he has won the event in the past seven years.
McDavid took home the $1 million prize after winning the Fastest Skater, Stick Handling and the Accuracy Shooting competitions in the opening round, and then winning the Obstacle Course in the final round.
NFL: The Seattle Seahawks A are tapping Leslie
Frazier to serve as assistant head coach under new head coach Mike Macdonald, multiple media outlets reported Friday night.
Frazier took the 2023 season off after a six-year stint as the Buffalo Bills’ defensive coordinator.
Frazier, 64, will provide a sounding board to the 36-year-old Macdonald, now the youngest head coach in the NFL.
Boxing: Tyson Fury’s A undisputed heavyweight championship bout with
Oleksandr Usyk has been rescheduled for May 18 in Saudi Arabia, it was announced by multiple parties on Saturday.
The match, originally set for Feb. 17 in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, was postponed Friday after Fury suffered a cut that required stitches while sparring at his training camp in Saudi Arabia.
“I am absolutely devastated,” the British boxer said in a statement after the injury. “I feel bad for everyone involved in this huge event and I will work diligently towards the rescheduled date once the eye has healed. I can only apologize to everyone affected!”
The 35-year-old WBC champion is 34-0-1 with 24 wins by knockout. Usyk, 37, of Ukraine, is 21-0 with 14 KOs and holds the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO belts.
Celebration of Life: A A
service will be held on Sunday from 4-6 p.m. honoring the memory of former Coral Gables High football coach Roger Pollard. The ceremony will take place at
Caballero Rivero Little Havana, 3344 SW 8th St. in Miami.
Pollard, an alum of Coral Gables High, grew up in Fairway Heights and played football at Carver and later Coral Gables High. Pollard would go on to play at N.C. State, where he earned his sociology degree and masters in sport management.
Pollard would later return to his alma mater and coach at Gables High before coaching at Middle Tennessee State University. He would later become the school’s head coach, leading the Cavaliers to multiple playoff appearances and district championships.
Along the way Pollard became a beloved member of the local community as a teacher, coach and author.
Pollard authored five books, two on football strategy and technique and three on personal motivation and achievement.
Pollard is survived by his wife, Shay, and their two children.
Pollard’s family has set up a GoFundMe page for those wishing to make a contribution to the Jojo & Tiger Education Fund: gofund.me/284355fb.