“I feel badly for him”- Steve Kerr expresses sympathy for Joel Embiid

Golden State Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr sympathized with the Philadelphia Sixers’ star player Joel Embiid. Notably, the Sixers announced that Embiid will miss the rest of the season to focus on the rehabilitation and treatment of his left knee issues.

Kerr was Embiid’s coach during the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Team USA won the gold medal. Expressing his sympathy about Embiid, Kerr said that he feels bad about him and the Sixers. The Warriors coach also went on to say that the league is dependent on star players like him. 

“I feel badly for him and the Sixers. Our league is so dependent on stars and great players,” Kerr said. 

Kerr hoped for his bright future and a positive comeback. He added, “I want him to succeed and have a great run and a great next few years with Philly, so very disappointing… It’s all about how you bounce back.”

Recalling USA’s semi-final clash against Serbia in the Olympics, Kerr said that he knew how important Embiid was in the matchup against Nikola Jokic. “We knew going into the tournament that we were gonna be able to beat most of the teams there without him, but we knew Serbia, we were gonna have to have him against Jokic,” Kerr revealed. 

Notably, Embiid helped the USA outscore Serbia by 17 points in the 27 minutes of his stay on the court in the marquee clash. He finished with 19 points, 9-for-11 shooting, four rebounds and three assists.

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Joel Embiid’s injury struggles

Embiid has had his own struggles with injuries over the duration of his career. After missing some games in the previous seasons due to minor injuries, a meniscus injury forced him to undergo surgery in the 2023-24 season. Owing to it, Embiid could only play 39 out of 82 games in the previous season. 

In 2024, the 30-year-old missed a series of games due to left knee issues. While he had made his comeback after a 15-game hiatus, the persistent issues kept him on and off the court. Moreover, Embiid was finding it difficult to get his rhythm back, and had addressed the need of finding a permanent solution to the issue. 

The star center was a part of the Nets game on February 22 but was forced to sit out for the fourth quarter due to swelling in his knee. Embiid has been limited to only 19 games this season, averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 0.9 blocks.