Rumors

Brian Windhorst: "The NBA was planning on having games in Doha this fall. I believe the Wizards and Nets were planning on going there, and possibly even the Cavs. The Cavs and Heat were looking at going to Abu Dhabi, and then going to Doha, but the Wizards and Nets were going to Doha. Those were, they never were announced, and a few days ago, the NBA decided to just move on from that obviously because of the situation in the Middle East."

YouTube

"[They] said there's a pretty talented kid in Doha, you should take a look," Philo says. "So I said okay. I evaluate leagues, I evaluate players, and typically, good talent doesn't come out of Doha. But I'll go anywhere if there's a chance there's talent. That's the job. "So I went down, and I'm watching this tournament. I was intrigued, no red flags yet, got pretty good size for his position, was bouncy, and made shots. So I was like, 'huh.' And I filed it away."

VICE

Joel Embiid is back in Qatar. This time, the 76ers center has some team personnel with him. Embiid left Philadelphia this week and will spend the next several weeks at Aspetar, an orthopedic and sports medicine hospital located in Doha, Qatar. He had a lot of success there, and the team wanted to send him back for more treatment, according to a source.

Philadelphia Inquirer

But the biggest thing that Aspetar might offer is a place of familiarity for Embiid. For a French-speaking Cameroonian athlete who grew up playing soccer, a medical staff that widely speaks French is a little slice of home. Not only that, it's a whole lot nicer to be in Doha, Qatar, where the highs are in the upper 70s than in the harsh, dark winters of Philadelphia. "He bought in in a big way," Brown says of Embiid. "He is doing great. I feel like I see an older player, a more committed, excited player. The recognition that he hasn't played basketball in a while, he can't miss a bit, he can't miss a step. The circle of people we've put around him is massive."

ESPN.com

Joel Embiid wasn't with the 76ers when they returned from the six-day all-star break Wednesday evening. Embiid was in Doha, which is the capital of Qatar, consulting and rehabilitating his twice surgically repaired right foot at Aspetar, which bills itself as "the world's leading specialized orthopedic and sports medicine hospital."

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