Reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid had a great night in the NBA despite battling a very specific illness.
Joel Embiid scored 50 points in Game 3 of the first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks, then appeared at a news conference wearing sunglasses. The reason for this is a rare disease called Bell’s palsy, which struck him in the previous few days.
Bell’s palsy is a type of facial paralysis and Embidu is now unable to control the muscles on the left side of his face. Other symptoms include drooping eyelids, pain around the ear and a change in taste, and this condition can also increase sensitivity to sound. The causes of the disease are unknown and risk factors include diabetes and infections, all of which are caused by dysfunction of the facial nerve.
Embiid revealed that he fell ill before the NBA playoff game with Miami, but that he did not want to go public with the details of his condition. It is speculated that he appeared at the conference with glasses because he has problems with eye and eyelid control.
“It’s quite irritating all this with the left side of my face, with the mouth and the eye. It’s been difficult for me, but I’m not one to give up. It’s not a very happy circumstance, but I have to keep trying”said one of the NBA’s best centers.
