Joel Embiid mourns the loss of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama

In 2018, Joel Embiid was seen watching Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Z to hype himself up before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal against the Boston Celtics. Now Embiid joins millions of Toriyama’s fans in mourning the demise of the legendary manga artist.

Toriyama was diagnosed with a brain tumor and was planning to go through surgery to start the treatment process. He died on March 2; however, the news of his death was revealed to the public on March 8th, a week later.

Joel Embiid took to Twitter to pay tribute to Akira Toriyama.

“Man RIP Akira Toriyama,” wrote the reigning league MVP followed by two crying emojis.

Joel Embiid has always been a huge lover of anime. He earlier mentioned that viewing anime was one of the ways he used to escape the hard reality of life. Furthermore, Akira Toriyama's influence extended beyond Embiid alone.

Many NBA players said they were big fans of Dragon Ball Z, created by the legendary Akira Toriyama. Daniel Gafford, the forward from the Dallas Mavericks, John Collins and Clint Capela all have Dragon Ball Z as their favorite show. Gafford even has tattoos of characters from the famous TV show.

Latest update on Joel Embiid’s injury and his timeline for return

Joel Embiid was having a historic season with the Philadelphia 76ers this season. The reigning league MVP was the frontrunner in the race for the second consecutive MVP award this season before he was eliminated from contention owing to 65-game eligibility.

After already being out of the team’s lineup, there is finally good news in the 76ers camp. Embiid has been reportedly recovering well.

The 76ers’ star has been participating in workout sessions on the court. He has also been going through weight exercises to keep himself ready. However, it has been reported that despite Embiid recovering faster, he is not expected to be back on court before April.

After being declared out in the fourth quarter of the Golden State Warriors' game against the 76ers, it was anticipated that he would be sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Jonathan Kuminga fell on Embiid's leg during a fourth-quarter play. Later, it turned out that Embiid had suffered a misplaced meniscus flap in his left knee.

When Joel Embiid returns, he will be on minute restrictions. However, his presence itself would be a big boost for Philly fans ahead of the playoffs. Before going down with injury, Joel Embiid was averaging 35.3 ppg on 53.3% shooting from the field and 36.6% from the three-point line.