Fact Check: Did Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid suffer a torn right ACL?
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is expected to return against the Indiana Pacers after sitting out the previous game to manage plantar fasciitis.
However, a viral social media post claims that Embiid tore his right ACL and will miss the rest of the 2026–27 NBA season. The claim has sparked concern among NBA fans, especially 76ers supporters, given the star center’s injury history. Let’s fact-check the claim.
Claim: Joel Embiid suffered a torn right ACL
Just in: Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has suffered a torn right ACL. he is out for the rest of the season,sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/QokTkuUkkG
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharrniaa) October 27, 2026
The report on Joel Embiid surfaced on October 27, when an X account posing as Shams Charania claimed that the Philadelphia 76ers star would miss the rest of the 2026–27 NBA season.
The post read, “Just in: Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has suffered a torn right ACL. he is out for the rest of the season, sources tell ESPN.”
The claim sparked concern among fans, many of whom remembered Embiid’s history of knee and foot injuries.
One X user reacted to the post, writing, “almost threw something on the grill nooo 💔”
Another commenter discussed the impact of knee surgery, saying, “embiid had the same procedure like 3 years ago and really didn’t get back to 100% until this year with the knee, obviously ant isn’t embiid but I hate this procedure tbh, but for any chance to come back this year this is what he needed to do.”
A third user criticized the account, writing, “I blocked this account immediately after seeing this not even remotely funny.” Another X user expressed disbelief, commenting, “Nah, see this too crazy. What’s going on?”
Fact Check: The claim is false
The claim that Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid tore his right ACL and will miss the rest of the 2026–27 season is false.
The claim originated from the X account @ShamsCharrniaa, which includes an extra “r” and “a” in its handle.
The account identifies itself as a parody account of ESPN senior NBA insider Shams Charania. The real Shams Charania posts from @ShamsCharania.
Embiid has been managing right-foot plantar fasciitis and has missed games to manage his workload.
He sat out Philadelphia’s game against the Detroit Pistons on October 25 after recording a triple-double against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 24, with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Recent reports from CBS Sports and NBA.com indicated that Embiid was expected to return for the 76ers’ game against the Indiana Pacers on October 28.
No credible reports from ESPN or other reliable NBA news sources support the claim that Embiid tore his ACL. Although he has a history of knee and foot injuries, the viral post provides no evidence of a new ACL tear or a season-ending injury.
