Entertainment Sports Joel Embiid Reveals He Was Diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy After Having ‘Bad Migraines’: ‘Thought It Was Nothing’ The NBA player said the condition affected the “left side of my face, my mouth and my eye” during a press conference where he wore sunglasses By Kimberlee Speakman Kimberlee Speakman Kimberlee Speakman is a digital writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2022. Her work has previously appeared in Forbes and she has also worked in broadcast television as a reporter for Hawaii-based news station KHON2 News. People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 26, 2024 10:17AM EDT Close Joel Embiid on April 25, 2024. Photo: AP Photo/Matt Slocum NBA star Joel Embiid’s physicality isn’t just being tested on the basketball court. The Philadelphia 76ers player, 30, revealed during a press conference after his team’s win against the New York Knicks on Thursday, April 25 that he was recently diagnosed with Bell’s palsy. "I think it started a day or two before the Miami game [in the play-in tournament on April 17], and I had bad migraines and thought it was nothing," Embiid said while wearing sunglasses, per ESPN and the Associated Press. “My body was just, I was just not feeling it.” Embiid recalled that it began noticing effects in his “left side of my face, my mouth and my eye.” Since then, he said the condition has made his vision go blurry at times and he noted that he has had to use eye drops to prevent them from going dry, per ESPN. Joel Embiid Brought to Tears After Son Arthur, 2, Joins Him During MVP Ceremony Bell’s palsy is a condition that causes muscles to weaken on one side of the face, according to the Mayo Clinic. It often occurs after damage to the facial nerve and in most cases is not considered permanent, per John Hopkins Medicine. “It’s been tough, but I’m not a quitter,” Embiid said, per the AP. “I’m going to keep fighting through anything. It’s unfortunate, that’s the way I look at it. But it’s not an excuse. I’ve got to keep pushing.” The NBA player added that the condition has not “necessarily gotten better” and that it could still take a few more weeks or months before the condition goes away. Joel Embiid (left) playing on April 25, 2024. Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Who Is Joel Embiid's Wife? All About Anne de Paula "I just hope that [my face] could stay like this," Embiid quipped, per ESPN. "I got a beautiful face. I don't like when my mouth is looking the other way.” "Like I said, unfortunate situation, but everything happens for a reason,” he added. “I gotta take care of myself mentally." Despite the diagnosis, the basketball player is still playing great basketball. In Thursday’s game against the Knicks, he earned a career high of 50 points, helping to keep his team competitive with the New York team. The 76ers eventually defeated the Knicks with a victory of 125-114, according to ESPN. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Embiid is also still recovering from a knee injury, which he had to have surgery on in February and caused him to miss two months of games, per the outlet. While discussing his physicality during the press conference, Embiid admitted that he often asks himself, “Why me?” But he also said that he is doing the best he can to overcome it. “Just gotta take it as it is,” Embiid offered. “But the one thing I'm not going to do is give up no matter what happens. Gotta keep pushing, gotta keep fighting, gotta keep putting my body on the line, for my family, for this city, for this team.”