Lakers' LeBron James Rips Criticism of Joel Embiid After Injury: 'No Accountability'

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Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has had enough of the criticism of Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid for missing games this season due to a nagging knee ailment.

Embiid, who was diagnosed Thursday with a meniscus injury in his left knee, is now expected to be sidelined for an unspecified period of time after suffering the ailment in Tuesday's loss to the Golden State Warriors.

James posted Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter, of Embiid's injury:

Embiid has been limited to just 34 games this season and had been "dealing with soreness" in his left knee all year leading up to the meniscus injury, according to The Athletic's Sam Amick.

The 29-year-old sat out back-to-back games against the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday and Monday due to knee soreness before suiting up against the Warriors on Tuesday.

Embiid was criticized heavily for missing his fourth straight matchup in Denver dating back to 2019, with some fans even calling him a "coward" for not suiting up.

Amick added that people within the Sixers organization "are convinced" the reigning MVP, who is listed at 7'0'' and 280 pounds, only played in Tuesday's game against the Warriors because of the mounting "scrutiny" he has faced for often being unavailable.

Embiid didn't play well—by his standards—in Tuesday's loss, either, finishing with 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists before being forced out of the matchup late in the game.

The meniscus injury is a tough blow for the veteran, who has been at the top of the MVP conversation all season amid a career year. He was averaging 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.8 blocks while shooting 53.3 percent from the floor and 36.6 percent from deep.

To qualify for any of the NBA's major awards this year, a player must appear in 65 games. Embiid is expected to miss his 14th game of the season on Saturday against the Brooklyn Nets and then would only be allowed to miss three more contests before being ruled out of the MVP race.

At this point, winning the MVP award is likely out of the question for Embiid, which is unfortunate given his performance. The Sixers are likely just hoping he can return to the floor for a playoff run later this year.