This is brutal. As a die-hard Sixers fan, I’m devastated. Joel Embiid, our MVP, the heart and soul of the team, is officially out for the season. This was supposed to be our year. This was supposed to be his year. But now? It’s over.

The Sixers announced today that Embiid won’t return for the 2024-25 season, and man, it hurts. This guy was putting up legendary numbers before Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga fell onto his leg on January 30, 2024. He was on pace for one of the most dominant scoring seasons in NBA history—more points than minutes played, something only Wilt Freaking Chamberlain had done. And now, all we’re left with is another “What if?”

A Season of Pain and What Could Have Been

Embiid’s knee has been a ticking time bomb all year. He had surgery last season, then rushed back to help us in the playoffs against the Knicks—playing through Bell’s Palsy, no less—and still averaged 33 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists. Even though we lost in six, we had hope.

Then, he played for Team USA in the Paris Olympics, but you could see something wasn’t right. A brace on that knee, inconsistent play… He had flashes of greatness, like that insane fourth quarter against Jokic and Serbia, but overall, he wasn’t the dominant Embiid we know.

Fast forward to training camp, and suddenly, he’s not ready. We were told it’d be a few days. Then a few weeks. Finally, he made his debut on November 12, when we were already drowning at 2-8.

By the time he really got rolling, it was too late. We clawed back a little—went on a nice stretch in December—but the injuries kept coming. A foot sprain, knee pain, missed time, and now, here we are. Season over. Hope gone.

What Now for the 76ers?

So, what do we do? The team is saying they’ll keep fighting for a playoff spot, but let’s be real. That dream died the moment Embiid got shut down.

Now, all eyes turn to our first-round draft pick. Thanks to the 2020 Al Horford trade, the Sixers might keep their top-6 protected pick, but even that’s a coin flip. We’re currently sitting at sixth in the lottery standings, but the odds aren’t great. Do we tank and try to secure it? Or do we keep grinding and end up with nothing?

To make things worse, our star rookie, Jared McCain, is already out for the season with a meniscus injury. What do we even have left to root for?

The Pain of Being a Sixers Fan

This was supposed to be the year we finally broke through. We had the reigning MVP. We had a shot. And now? We’re back to watching ping-pong balls in the lottery, hoping for some miracle.

I love this team, but man, it’s tough. I play basketball myself, I know injuries are part of the game, but it just feels like we’re cursed. Every time we get close, something rips it away. First “The Process” years, then Kawhi’s shot, then Simmons’ meltdown, now this.

All we can do now is wait. Wait for the draft. Wait for next season. Wait for something to give us hope again.

But right now? It just hurts.