Joel Embiid has fractured foot

ByJeff Goodman ESPN logo
Friday, June 20, 2014

Joel Embiid, who was considered the front-runner to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, will undergo surgery for a stress fracture in his right foot Friday, his agent confirmed in a statement.



"Joel Embiid suffered a stress fracture to the navicular bone in his right foot," Arn Tellem said Thursday. "He is scheduled to have surgery tomorrow. Joel will be unable to participate in any additional workouts, and will not attend the draft in New York. We will have no further comment until after the surgery."



Tellem told ESPN's Andy Katz earlier Thursday that Embiid suffered the injury sometime over the last few days.



Embiid is not attending the draft because he can't fly for 10 days to two weeks post-surgery, Tellem told Katz. The draft is next Thursday.



Embiid was scheduled to work out for the Milwaukee Bucks, who hold the second overall pick, later this week.



The 7-foot native of Cameroon was already dealing with health questions regarding his back, which forced him to miss the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments.



He worked out earlier this month for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and sources said he fared well and that the medical testing also came back without much concern.



Embiid also participated in a one-on-none workout in front of NBA teams in Santa Monica, California.



Embiid averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks this past season as a freshman at Kansas.



Cleveland could also opt to select Duke freshman Jabari Parker or Kansas wing Andrew Wiggins with the No. 1 overall pick.



ESPN's Andy Katz and ESPN NBA Insider Chad Ford contributed to this report.



Related Video




Copyright © 2024 ESPN Internet Ventures. All rights reserved.