Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid risks missing out on back-to-back awards, after the Philadelphia 76ers star was diagnosed with a lateral meniscus injury in his left knee.
Embiid, 29, suffered the injury during a recent game between Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors when Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga landed awkwardly on his knee during a loose-ball scramble.
It's unclear how long the injury will keep him out of the line-up.
Embiid is on pace to lead the league in scoring for the third straight season and was the favourite to win his second straight Most Valuable Player award before the injury. The star was averaging 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists - all career highs.
He also just the third player in Philadelphia franchise history to produce at least 60 points in a game, when he scored 70 points against San Antonio Spurs last month.
As part of the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, players must play at least 65 regular-season games to qualify for certain awards, including the MVP and All NBA teams.
After already missing 12 games this season, Embiid needs to play at least 20 of the 76ers' remaining 25 games, if he wants the chance to become the 13th player in NBA history to win the MVP award back-to-back... an unlikely scenario, due to his new injury.
Denver Nuggets star center Nikola Jokić, who won the award back-to-back in 2021 and 2022, is now favored to win his third MVP in four seasons.
