Sixers star Joel Embiid clears COVID protocols, will play vs. Wizards

Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid will return against the Washington Wizards.

The Philadelphia 76ers had to dabble into the league’s health and safety protocols again as star duo Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were caught up in the contact tracing protocols after having their haircut by a barber who tested positive for the virus.

The stars then had to miss the All-Star game on Sunday and then the stars had to miss the team’s second-half opening win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday. The team got a big performance out of Tony Bradley and Dwight Howard, but they would still like to have their best player back out there.

On the bright side, Embiid has officially cleared protocols and he is available for Friday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards. Simmons is still going through them.

The Sixers are in the middle of a tough stretch to open up the second half as they are having to play a back-to-back in the midst of playing three games in four nights. That is challenging for any team, but it is even tougher without the star players.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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