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Despite flu-like symptoms, Embiid crashes Sixers practice

GALLOWAY, N.J. - Joel Embiid wasn't about to miss the 76ers' first training camp practice.

The center was unable to travel to Stockton University with his teammates Monday night because he was in bed with a cold and a virus. The Sixers even scratched him from Tuesday's morning workout there.

But Embiid had other plans when he woke up.

"I was like, I waited too long for this time to come," said the third overall draft pick in 2014, who missed his first two seasons because of two surgeries on his right foot. "So I've got to go and try to put some work in. And that's what I did."

To the surprise of the Sixers, Embiid drove to the Jersey Shore town and walked into the gym during practice. And he didn't come just to watch.

"All of a sudden, I look over and he's in a drill," coach Brett Brown said.

The 7-foot-2, 276-pounder proceeded to put in 25 minutes of work. He even participated in a controlled scrimmage. Embiid would have practiced longer if his minutes were not restricted.

He was scheduled to work out for only 20 minutes in Tuesday's evening practice.

"I'm feeling great," he said after the morning session. "I'm a little disappointed that I missed the beginning, that I didn't get a chance to play. But I went up and back a couple of times and it felt great. So I'm feeling pretty good despite the fact that I'm sick."

Embiid said he had a bloody nose and experienced a lot of coughing and vomiting Monday night. He has been ill since Friday.

"I don't think he's missed a beat from a great month of September," Brown said of Embiid's first practice. "You are sort of judging [that] sometimes is it the flu that is slowing him down [in the scrimmage]. I think that more than anything."

It turns out it was a good thing that Embiid decided to crash the practice.

One of his mentors, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, attended the workouts as the Sixers' guest. Ilgauskas was also a guest of the Sixers in November.

The 7-foot-3 former Cavaliers standout was hampered early in his career by a fractured navicular bone in his foot. That's the same injury that Embiid is trying to overcome.

Ilgauskas missed 202 games and had foot surgery three times from 1998-2001.

"He's fantastic," Brown said of Ilgauskas. "The stories he tells to Joel . . . He missed five years and then went on to string 10 consecutive years as an NBA all-star and made $100 million.

"He's a hell of a story, really."

kpompey@phillynews.com

@PompeyOnSixers

www.philly.com/Sixersblog