Why does Joel Embiid fall all the time? There's a medical reason USA basketball star was taught to flop

Anyone who watches the NBA knows that star center Joel Embiid is prone to hitting the deck multiple times a game.

Despite being listed at 7 feet and 280 lbs., the one-time MVP can look like a feather in the wind when he's brushed by contact.

That embellishment is often labeled "flopping," and it's hard to deny that Embiid is up there with the best actors in the league. But the MVP revealed back in 2019 that it was actually a doctor's instructions to fall whenever he is headed for an awkward landing.

Here's why Embiid falls as much as he does.

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Why does Joel Embiid fall all the time?

Embiid is one of the biggest players in the NBA but he ends up on the floor more than most.

It's always a wincing moment whenever Embiid takes a tumble, hoping the star center gets back to his feet in one piece. Most assume Embiid is just flopping. He might be some of the time, but in others, he is following a doctor's instructions to limit the weight he's putting on his legs in an attempt to avoid injury.

"It was something I learned during my rehab when I was going through the foot injury, when I was trying to find ways to limit the impact on my body in 2014," Embiid ESPN's Chris Herring in 2019 .

"I was told that every time I feel like I'm in a situation where it's going to be some type of extreme [weight] on my leg, I've got to dive or just roll onto the floor. So that's why I do it.

"I know there are fans that are always thinking, 'No!' each time I fall, but that's why I do it," Embiid continued. "The specialists for my foot told me to do it."

The reasoning does make sense. Embiid has dealt with foot and knee injuries throughout his entire career, so it's smart to avoid putting 280 pounds on one individual leg to stay as healthy as possible.

We saw a prime example of that during Team USA's semifinal win over Serbia at the 2024 Paris Olympics when Embiid threw down a thunderous dunk but hit the floor as if he slipped off the rim immediately after.

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Embiid rose to his feet without any delay after that fall and went on to have an extremely impactful fourth quarter to help the United States pull off the comeback win.

Embiid's tumbles might not be graceful but they're meant to protect him from injury.