The Philadelphia 76ers will be without stars Joel Embiid and Paul George when they take the court for their season opener at home Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Both players are dealing with knee injuries.
Embiid is expected to be out for the remainder of the week, which includes road games against the Toronto Raptors on Friday and Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
George, who joined the team as a free agent this past offseason, could make his Sixers debut later in the week after he is re-evaluated for a bone bruise.
Embiid, 30, is heading into his ninth season after he averaged 34.7 points and 11.0 rebounds in just 39 games last season while undergoing surgery on his left knee for a meniscus injury. The seven-time All-Star and 2022-23 MVP played for Team USA at the Paris Olympics this summer.
Embiid, who did not play for two seasons because of a foot injury after he was drafted in the first round in 2014 by Philadelphia, has averaged 27.9 points with 11.2 rebounds in 433 games for the Sixers.
George, 34, averaged 22.6 points with 5.2 rebounds in 74 games for the Clippers last season. In 14 NBA seasons, he has scored 20.8 points per game with 6.3 rebounds in 867 contests (819 starts) for the Pacers (2010-17), Oklahoma City Thunder (2017-19) and the Clippers.
George played in just six games during the 2014-15 season after suffering a compound leg fracture while playing in a scrimmage for Team USA in the offseason. The nine-time All-Star played in just 31 games in 2021-22 due to a torn elbow ligament.
