Philadelphia 76ers centre Joel Embiid has undergone knee surgery, ending his hopes of retaining the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award.

Embiid, 29, will miss at least four weeks of action following surgery.

He is the reigning MVP but needs to play a minimum of 65 matches this season to retain that title, which is now impossible with this absence.

The Cameroonian will miss what would have been his seventh straight All-Star game on Sunday, 18 February.

After injuring his left knee in last Wednesday’s 119-107 defeat to Golden State Warriors, Embiid had an MRI scan that revealed the knee issue.

He has already missed 15 of the 76ers’ 49 matches so far.

Four weeks out would see Embiid miss a further 11 matches, taking the maximum number of regular-season matches he can play in to 56.

The centre was named MVP for the 2022-23 season after averaging 33.1 points per game.

He is the leading NBA points-scorer this season, averaging 35.3 points per game and more than one point per minute.

That record had him on course to become only the second player in NBA history, after Wilt Chamberlain in 1961-62, to average at least 35 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game across a full season.

The 76ers have a record of 26 wins and eight defeats in 23-24 when Embiid has played, but only four wins and 11 defeats when he has been absent.