Joel Embiid Will Not Play in 2017 NBA All-Star Weekend with Knee Injury

Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid will not participate in either the NBA Rising Stars Challenge or the Skills Challenge as he recovers from a knee injury.

The Sixers announced Embiid will still travel to New Orleans for the festivities, while the NBA (via Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype) announced Oklahoma City Thunder wing Alex Abrines will take his place in the Rising Stars Challenge and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic will replace him in the Skills Challenge Saturday.

Embiid is out as he deals with a bone bruise, according to 76ers general manager Brian Colangelo, via Tom Dougherty of CSNPhilly.com. Colangelo noted there is a "very minor meniscal tear," but that it is not believed to be the source of Embiid's pain.

Embiid, 22, has been spectacular for the Sixers when he's been on the court this season, averaging 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in just 25.4 minutes per game in 31 contests.

But the Sixers have been incredibly cautious with the big man after injuries cost him his first two NBA seasons, sitting him at least one game in back-to-backs. And he's now missed 11 straight games in what was initially believed to be just a bone bruise until Sixers writer Derek Bodner reported last week that Embiid also has a minor meniscus tear in his left knee, which the Sixers confirmed.

Head coach Brett Brown went into more detail on the 94WIP Morning Show with Angelo Cataldi about how the team would proceed going forward (via Andrew Porter of CBS Philly):

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I think the thing that has caught probably the public off guard, is the people in the know felt it was a preexisting injury. Everybody should hear this, our intention is we're gonna play him. He's gonna do what he's doing, he's gonna come back after the all-star break and it's our intention to get him back on the court. Nobody would do that if it was something that we felt was significant. The injury was a bone bruise and I feel like when people hear meniscus, people's eyes and ears go up and I understand. But really the end game for us, is we hope to get him back on the court after the all-star break.

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The fact that Embiid won't participate at all in the All-Star festivities will be a disappointment to many fans, however, after Embiid and the Sixers campaigned to get him into the All-Star Game. He finished third among frontcourt players in the Eastern Conference voting, which would have made him a starter in years past.

Given the new system for selecting All-Stars, however, Embiid was ultimately left off the team. The Rising Stars game and Skills Challenge were the consolation prizes for many fans. Now, Embiid not only won't participate in either, but there are now growing questions as to whether he'll even play again this season.

Those questions come at a particularly tenuous time for the Sixers, as it appears 2016 No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons may not play at all this season and 2015 No. 3 overall pick Jahlil Okafor remains on the trade block and was even held out of two games due to trade talks.

The Sixers have won 21 games this season, their most since the 2012-13 campaign. But the questions surrounding the young stars continue to taint an otherwise exciting season for the team.