NBA star on COVID-19 battle: ‘I really thought I wasn’t going to make it’

The coronavirus hit NBA superstar Joel Embiid hard, the Philadelphia 76ers big man said upon returning to the court Saturday night following a nine-game absence during his illness. 

“That jawn hit me hard,” Embiid told reporters after the Sixers most recent game, CNN reported. “I really thought I wasn’t going to make it. It was that bad. So I’m just thankful to be sitting here.”

Embiid said he struggled to breathe, had headaches “worse than migraines,” and his “whole body was just done, I guess. It was not a good time.”

Embiid is vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

“Honestly, I did not think I was going to play tonight after the workout last night,” Embiid said after Saturday’s game, in which he scored 42 points during 45 minutes on the floor in a double overtime loss. 

“Really couldn’t go up and down more than three times. I guess, to me it’s a miracle I even played this many minutes,” he said.