As LeBron James closes in on his 40th birthday, we are seeing clear signs of him slowing down. He is still a top-level player for sure but no longer one of the best in the NBA. On the court, Anthony Davis is now more important to the Los Angeles Lakers than 'The King'.
That is only natural. Father Time is the only undefeated athlete in all of sports. That being said, Gilbert Arenas believes that one player's body is older than even LeBron's.
That is Joel Embiid. The Philadelphia 76ers superstar has continued to struggle with fitness issues this season and only played five games so far.
Embiid is one of the best in the world when fit and available. The issue is, he is rarely on the court these days.
Arenas said about Embiid while talking on Gil's Arena: "His knee is done. This is it. This is that athlete who most likely, the cartilage is gone from his knee and he's out there with no brake pad."
Arenas went on to further declare: "Embiid's body is older than LeBron's by probably a decade. You can see it."
It is very possible, in fact likely, that Embiid is going to struggle with knee issues for the rest of his career. In fact, he does not seem to have an injury right now but had to deal with swelling earlier on in the season after playing just a few games. That is not a good sign.
The Sixers handed Embiid an extension this offseason. One has to question that decision after seeing how much he has struggled to remain fit this season.
We could be wrong and Embiid might find a way to remain consistently fit, especially with the load management strategy that the Sixers appear to be adopting with both him and Paul George.
But until we see any proof of it working, it is only natural for Philly fans to be worried about the entire situation.
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This story was originally published December 10, 2024, 10:31 PM.