Joel Embiid upgraded to questionable for Sixers-Hawks on Sunday; could return after nine straight absences

Philadelphia 76ers' star center Joel Embiid has taken a surprising turn in his recovery from a right knee injury, upgrading to questionable for Sunday's matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. The move signals that Embiid may be nearing a return to action after nine consecutive games without him.

Embiid's absence has been largely attributed to a day-to-day right knee issue he first reported on November 11th. However, despite numerous updates from team officials and coach Nick Nurse describing the situation as "day-to-day," Embiid has yet to appear in a game over the past eight absences. Many had assumed his injury would sideline him once again, but the Sixers' decision to upgrade his status now suggests that he could be ready to return to competition.

The timing of this announcement is particularly intriguing, coming just hours before tip-off on Sunday evening. One can only speculate about what prompted the change in Embiid's status, but it appears that the team has finally gotten a glimpse of hope for his comeback. With this upgrade, fans and observers will be closely watching to see if Embiid takes the court against the Hawks on Sunday night.

OMG u gotta love the drama around Embiid! I was low-key worried he'd never play again , but now it seems like he's making a comeback for real ! The question is tho... what's really going on? Was it just a case of the team wanting to put a good spin on things or did they actually get some new info that makes 'im look less done-in than we thought? Either way, I'm hyped for the Sixers' next game and can't wait to see if Embiid brings his A-game !

omg i cant even believe its finally happening !! joel embiid is almost back from his injury and i'm literally so hyped !! i was getting so worried that he wouldn't be able to play again, but now that he's being upgraded, i'm totally convinced he'll be back on the court soon . this timing is crazy though, just hours before the game... what do u think happened? did they finally get some new MRI results or something? i'm low-key freaking out thinking about it !!

what's good I'm low-key hyped about Joel Embiid coming back ASAP lol he's been out for ages & the 76ers need him like crazy now that they've upgraded his status, I'm gonna put my money on him playing against the Hawks on Sunday the question is will he be fully healthy or just getting warmed up? either way, it's gonna be a fun night of hoops

This sudden upgrading of Joel Embiid's injury status is quite intriguing! It seems like the Sixers have finally gotten a glimmer of hope for his return, which is a welcome surprise after nine consecutive games without him . I'm curious to know what prompted this change in his status - was it a positive development during his rehabilitation process or just a reassessment by the medical team? Either way, fans and observers alike will be on high alert on Sunday night to see if Embiid can finally take the court against the Hawks .

I'm loving this turn of events with Joel Embiid! The fact that he's upgraded to questionable just hours before the game is like, super exciting ! I mean, we all knew his absence was a major bummer for fans, but now it seems like he might actually be ready to rock back out on the court. It's crazy how much pressure can build up when you're sitting on the sidelines, and Embiid's been dealing with that for weeks now. This move has got everyone hyped, even if we don't know all the details – maybe his knee is feeling better than expected, or maybe there was a tweak to his treatment plan? Whatever it is, I'm just stoked to see him back in action and hopefully bringing some much-needed wins for the Sixers!

Omg, can't believe they're upgrading Joel Embiid to questionable now ! I mean, I've been hoping he'd come back sooner, but nine games without him was getting pretty long . Guess we'll have to wait and see if he's gonna be ready for Sunday night . If he is, it could totally flip the game around for them . Been following their season closely, so fingers crossed they can get back on track !

I'm not buying it just yet . I mean, what's up with these sudden upgrades in injury status? It feels like a bunch of medical mumbo-jumbo . If he was really getting closer to returning, wouldn't his team be more transparent about it earlier on? The fact that they're only now upgrading him to questionable just hours before the game is weird, you know? I'm not saying he's definitely going to sit out, but I need to see some concrete evidence of his recovery progress before I start getting my hopes up .

idk how they changed his status from doubtful to questionable so fast lol what's going on here? was it something good or bad that made them move him up the injury ladder? seems like a weird timing, but maybe joel just finally got some treatment and its working? either way, i'm hyped for his return. 76ers need their big man back

finally some good news for 76ers fans embiid's been out for ages and it was starting to feel like we'd never see him on the court again. i'm not gonna lie, it's a bit suspicious that they're upgrading his status just hours before tip-off... maybe the team's just trying to give us all hope? either way, i'm hyped (yeah right) to see if embiid can actually live up to his hype and get us out of this slump .

I'm loving this development with Joel Embiid! It's like he's taken a page from Rocky's playbook - getting back up after a tough knockdown . Seriously though, it's awesome that the Sixers are giving him another shot at playing, and I'm super stoked for their fans who've been waiting for him to return. The timing of this announcement is pretty suspicious, but in a good way . Maybe they finally got some inside info from Embiid himself? Either way, it's gonna be a wild ride on Sunday night - will he be able to lead the team to victory against the Hawks? I'm hyped just thinking about it!

I'm getting hyped for JoJo's return ! Nine games without him already feels like an eternity. I was starting to think we'd never see him in action again, especially with the playoffs looming near. The fact that they upgraded his status just hours before tip-off is crazy – what changed?! Did he have a breakthrough session or something? Either way, it's music to my ears ! Now let's see if he can actually follow through on this promise and give us a showstopper performance against the Hawks . Fingers crossed, folks!

Heard this news, finally some good vibes for Embiid I think it's crazy how teams keep us in suspense like that, all day, every day... Up or down, you know where he's at Still, gotta respect him for pushing through the rehab, that takes guts Now, we'll just have to wait and see if he can back up his upgraded status

just got word from my sources and I'm low-key hyped about JoJo's potential return . nine games without him was starting to feel like a looong time , but apparently the Sixers have been getting some encouraging signs from his camp . don't get me wrong, it's still early days and all that jazz, but this upgrade has got everyone buzzing . will he be back on the court on Sunday? we'll just have to wait and see , but one thing's for sure - Philly fans are gonna lose their minds when they see him in action again .