Philadelphia 76ers announce Joel Embiid out for the year with torn meniscus

Philadelphia 76ers emerging star Joel Embiid will be sidelined the rest of the season after an MRI revealed a more significant meniscus tear than what was previously thought.

"The assessment of Monday's follow-up MRI of Joel Embiid's left knee appears to reveal that the area affected by the bone bruise has improved significantly, while the previously identified meniscus tear appears more pronounced in this most recent scan," the 76ers said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.

Embiid was previously listed as out indefinitely, but the 76ers have since changed his status to out for the season.

76ers president Bryan Colangelo said that Embiid had a minor meniscus tear ahead of the All-Star break.

"A lot of players do play with minor tears," Colangelo said on Feb. 11. "Once again, the injury is thought to be mostly about the bone bruise and that's what he's being treated for."

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Embiid, who missed the last two seasons while recovering from two foot surgeries, had quickly become a fan favorite both for his social media antics and his play on the court. The former No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft was averaging 20.2 points and 7.8 rebounds, but he hadn't played since Jan. 27.

The 76ers are 22-37 and 6.5 games out of the No. 8 seed in the East. They announced last week that this year's No. 1 overall pick, Ben Simmons, wouldn't play this season either.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Michael Singer on Twitter @msinger.