By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid was on the bench nursing a sore right ankle during the team's dramatic 24-point comeback on Wednesday night against the Miami Heat. Embiid was selected as a starter in Sunday's NBA All-Star Game but was also chosen to participate in Friday's Rising Stars game and Saturday's Skills Challenge. It doesn't look like his sore ankle will keep him from fulfilling his All-Star duties as Philly.com's Keith Pompey reports Embiid will indeed participate in all three events he was picked for this weekend in Los Angeles.
.@JoelEmbiid has decided to participate in the #RisingStars, #SkillsChallenge and the #NBAAllStar game.
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) February 16, 2018
The 7-foot-2 native of Cameroon has played in 44 games this season and is posting averages of 23.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.8 blocks. It will be interesting to see how many minutes he plays in the Rising Stars game with no official update on the status of his ankle injury.
Embiid will join teammates Dario Saric and Ben Simmons on the World Team in Friday's Rising Stars game that pits young NBA stars of the U.S. against young NBA talents from around the world. The trio of Sixers up and coming stars will be joined on their team by Lauri Markkanen (Bulls), Bogdan Bogdanovic (Kings), Jamal Murray (Nuggets) among others. Jaylen Brown (Celtics), Kris Dunn (Bulls), Donovan Mitchell (Jazz), Jayson Tatum (Celtics) and Kyle Kuzma (Lakers) are just a few of the guys suiting up for the United States team.
The first event on Saturday is the Skills Challenge. Embiid will be going up against Spencer Dinwiddie (Nets), Al Horford (Celtics), Lauri Markkanen (Bulls), Buddy Hield (Kings), Jamal Murray (Nuggets), Andre Drummond (Pistons) and Lou Williams (Clippers). Competitors are judged on numerous facets of the game, including passing, layups, three-point shooting and ball handling.
The 67th NBA All-Star Game will tip-off at 8:20 p.m. on TNT with coverage beginning at 7:00. Sixers center Joel Embiid will start on a team drafted by Warriors' sharp-shooter Stephen Curry. Others on team Steph include Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler, DeMar DeRozan, Draymond Green and James Harden.
