76ers' Joel Embiid Spotted at Practice Thursday

Written By Justin Carlucci | Published at April 23, 2026

Apr 3, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) controls the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Joel Embiid is making progress toward a return, participating in parts of the Philadelphia 76ers' practice on Thursday. His availability for Friday's Game 3 against the Boston Celtics remains a big question.

Joel Embiid Active at Philadelphia 76ers' Practice on Thursday

Coach Nick Nurse addressed Embiid's status with reporters at Thursday's media session, stopping short of committing to anything concrete.

"I think we're going to know a lot more probably by the end of today where he is," Nurse said, according to Adam Aaronson of the PhillyVoice and other outlets. "He wants to play, and we want him to play. I don't know how close we are to that at this point, but there's some progress being made."

The update comes less than two weeks after Embiid underwent emergency appendectomy surgery in on April 9, as ESPN's Tim Bontemps reported. He was diagnosed with appendicitis just hours before Philadelphia fell to the Rockets 113-102 in a pivotal late regular-season game. The surgery was completed while the 76ers were still on the court that night.

The 76ers have found a way to keep winning. Philadelphia beat the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament without Embiid, then dropped Game 1 of the first-round series to the Celtics at TD Garden before bouncing back to even the series with a Game 2 win — also without him.

The series now shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday. How much longer they can sustain this run without their All-Star center is the defining question of their postseason. Thursday's practice participation is the most encouraging sign yet that Embiid could factor into this series before it's over.