Joel Embiid tore his meniscus and is getting surgery. Here’s what you need to know.

The Sixers announced Sunday that Joel Embiid will have surgery this week to repair an injury to his meniscus, and will be sidelined for an extended period of time.

Here’s everything you need to know about Embiid and his injury:

The Athletic reported that Embiid was diagnosed with a displaced flap of the left meniscus, which is cartilage that acts as a shock absorber and stabilizes the knee.

Embiid missed two games with an injury against the Blazers and the Nuggets before returning against the Warriors on Jan., 31, where he experienced a setback.

» READ MORE: What are Joel Embiid’s options? A doctor explains how he could approach lateral meniscus surgery.

The Sixers did not specify how much time Embiid will miss with the injury in the official announcement. A source told The Inquirer that the team will not have a more specific timeline until after Embiid has surgery.

He is expected to miss an extended period of time.

It’s currently unknown. A source told The Inquirer that there’s a possibility for Embiid to return before the end of the season, and the latest report suggests it could be 1-2 months of recovery time. The NBA regular season ends on April 14, which is approximately 10 weeks away.

» READ MORE: David Murphy: The trade deadline can’t save the Sixers from life without Joel Embiid

Embiid tore his left meniscus back in 2016-17, which ended his season and caused him to miss 37 games. He also suffered a small tear in his right meniscus in 2021, which caused him to miss just one playoff game, Game 5 of the Sixers’ first-round series against the Wizards.

There’s no one like Embiid in the league or on the Sixers’ roster — he’s the reigning MVP and was the favorite to repeat before the injury — so it’ll be hard to find a direct replacement. Tyrese Maxey will shoulder the load of being the team’s top scorer, but here are some options to fill Embiid’s position more directly that are already on the roster:

The NBA trade deadline is on Feb. 8, so if the Sixers want to make any external additions to the roster to replace Embiid, the time to do that is coming up.

» READ MORE: Sixers trade deadline primer: Assets, possible targets, and how Joel Embiid’s injury could impact things

Embiid’s setback can be traced to the fourth quarter against the Warriors, when he got tangled up with Jonathan Kuminga going after a loose ball. Kuminga fell onto Embiid’s knee, and Embiid was clearly in pain, grabbing his knee before getting up and limping off to the locker room.

Embiid had been dealing with knee soreness previously this season, including missing three games due to left knee inflammation early last month.

» READ MORE: These Sixers players must step up in Joel Embiid's absence

Thanks to a new rule in the NBA, players need to appear in 65 games in order to be eligible for MVP or All-NBA teams, meaning they can miss a maximum of 17 games. As of Monday, Embiid has missed 14 games already this season, so he can only miss three more games to remain eligible to win his second consecutive MVP trophy.

With his new injury, it appears almost impossible that Embiid will remain eligible to repeat as the league’s most valuable player.

With Embiid, the NBA’s leader in points per game, almost certainly out of the running, other contenders have the opportunity to win the award. Here are some potential options: