🏀 ‘He looks ready’ | Sports Daily Newsletter

Tonight is the night … maybe.

Ahead of their home game against the Charlotte Hornets (7 p.m., NBCSP), it’s very possible the Sixers may also welcome the return of its All-Star center Joel Embiid.

Between a mix of injuries and a suspension, Embiid has missed a sizable portion of the Sixers’ 8-16 campaign. However, signs point to a return to the court, namely from the guy who’s had to take the majority of minutes in his absence.

“I’m sure Joel [Embiid] will be back tomorrow, too,” fellow Sixers big man Andre Drummond said after practice yesterday. " We should have full strength … and go from there.”

The team hasn’t officially announced Embiid’s return since he suffered a right sinus fracture but noted that he’s questionable ahead of tonight’s game. Drummond shared some insight that provided the optimism Sixers fans need right now, as consistency has not been a strong suit.

Still, it’s very much anyone’s guess.

“He looked fine in practice the past two days,” he said. “He’s a grown man, so whatever he decides to do is on him. I’m just saying he looks ready to play to me. So that’s why I said it.”

Whether he plays or not, at least we made it to the weekend, Philly. 💪🏾

— Kerith Gabriel, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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Quinyon Mitchell might be playing it pretty cool, but he’s widely considered a strong candidate for the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year. However, in the macro, Mitchell says lifting the Lombardi Trophy as a Super Bowl champion matters way more. In the micro, he’s locked in on slowing down Washington Commanders wideout Terry McLaurin — again — when the two take the field on Sunday (1 p.m., Fox 29).

The last time out McLaurin wasn’t targeted when Mitchell was paired up with him. It’s something both he and fellow cornerback Darius Slay noted may not be the case this time around.

“He’s got the ability to make a play at any given time, man,” Slay said of McLaurin. “So me and Q for sure know we’ve got to stay on our toes, because he’s one of the top guys in this league. So we’ve got to make sure we’re ready to go at all times. [McLaurin didn’t] get [any] targets the last time we played [them], so I know for sure in their meetings, they’re telling him, like, ‘Hey, we’re getting you the ball. We need you to get the ball.’”

Inquirer reporter Olivia Reiner has more on how the Eagles rookie out of Toledo continues to “live up to the hype.”

Also, Eagles rookie wideout Johnny Wilson explains to the Inquirer’s Jeff Neiburg what it’s like to have blocking for Saquon Barkley as a primary responsibility.

The Eagles play in Week 16 against the Washington Commanders. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Northwest Stadium.

While the Phillies are reportedly one of six clubs on Nolan Arenado’s wish list — the Cardinals third baseman has a full no-trade clause — there has been little public indication that the interest is mutual. Of course, if Dave Dombrowski were mulling the possibility of such a trade, he’d have a good reason to keep it on the down-low. The Phillies already have a third baseman, and it could make for an awkward spring if Alec Bohm reports to Clearwater suspecting that his bosses really did spend all offseason trying to replace him. Question is, does Arenado even qualify as such a hitter? Or would this be more of a case of doing something for something’s sake?

Thursday was a pretty newsy day in Philly when it comes to soccer. For starters, it was the first day that tickets became available for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup next summer. Philly is a host city, with Lincoln Financial Field as the host venue for eight matches between June and July.

Not to be outdone, the 2025 schedule for the Union was released as part of a leaguewide release. Still on the hunt for a coach to replace longtime boss Jim Curtin, the Union open the season in the sunshine at Orlando City on Feb. 22. Next comes the home opener on March 1 against FC Cincinnati at Subaru Park, which figures to be a chippy affair, given the teams’ recent history. The month wraps up with a highly anticipated clash with Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Inter Miami on March 29.

However, it’ll be May before Messi and Co. return to Subaru Park when the two teams square off on May 24, just 10 days after the Union host defending MLS champions in the Los Angeles Galaxy featuring former Union goalkeeper John McCarthy on May 14.

Inquirer Gus Elvin has more on the Union schedule and a quick look at the team’s current makeup.

Dec. 20, 1940: Connie Mack purchases majority ownership of the Philadelphia Athletics baseball club for — wait for it — $42,000.

Here are our Philly fan photos for this week as part of our Friday lineup. We’ll need you to submit photos with a Philly sports theme to keep this feature going. Send your photos here for the opportunity to be featured.

On Thursday, we asked which Philly athlete, past or present, do you consider an inspiration?

I read Aaron Carter’s excellent Tina Sloan Green’s inspirational story yesterday. I have mentioned the very inspirational Jim Eisenreich and Jim Abbott previously, but for a local inspirational player, Vince Papale comes to mind. Never even played college football, but made the Eagles team as a walk-on. Being a small guy myself, I have always been inspired by the guys like [Jose] Altuve and [Allen] Iverson who though small, rose to the top of their sports. But the most inspiring in my time had to be Jackie Robinson who opened the door for black athletes in the previously-closed MLB. — Everett S

Natasha Cloud of the WNBA comes out of Delco, went to St Joe’s, and is just such a cool, vibrant, and politically courageous person as well as a hardcore player. She’s always pushing herself and others within a game to improve and adapt over time, and I think she doesn’t get enough technical respect due to a reputation for being tough like her playmaking is seen as secondary to being a dawg. Likewise Cloud gets bad faith media often being painted as THEE woke warrior in an insultingly oversimplified way, but she doesn’t throw a pity party, just keeps her focus on steadily trying to nudge conversations in a more humanitarian direction, while always working to keep a sense of humor and personal joy. — D.W. Stone

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Gus Elvin, Devin Jackson, Olivia Reiner, Jeff Neiburg, Jonathan Tannenwald, Keith Pompey, Ariel Simpson, and David Murphy.

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Enjoy the weekend, Philly. Jim will be back in your inboxes on Monday. — Kerith