Over the summer, Joel Embiid gave 76ers fans some reason to worry about his future with the franchise via social media.
But at least the city of Philadelphia can take some solace in this: However he feels about the Sixers as an organization, Embiid still wants to be seen in public supporting the city’s other sports teams. On Thursday, as the Phillies defeated the Braves 3-1 and advanced into the National League Championship Series (insert your own joke about “escaping the second round” here), Embiid was there for the NLDS game, sporting a pinstripe Bryce Harper jersey.
When the camera panned to him, Embiid did Harper’s signature celebration—a throat-slashing gesture that drew the ire of the Braves’ broadcast announcers during the Phillies’ statement Game 3 victory.
For his part, Harper left no doubt how he feels about Philadelphia in his postgame comments following Game 3.
“I love this place,” Harper told reporters. “Flat out, I love this place. There’s nothing like coming into the Bank [stadium] and playing in front of these fans. Blue-collar mentality, tough, fighting every single day. I get chills, man. I get so fired up. Man, I love this place.”
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Embiid became a fan favorite in Philadelphia when, in addition to developing into one of the league’s best players, he embraced “The Process” as a nickname. “The Process” refers to the tanking strategy undertaken by previous Sixers General Manager Sam Hinkie, who many Philadelphia fans believe was forced out by the NBA. In prior media appearances, Embiid has said the NBA “ran Sam Hinkie out of town.”
But in addition to simply embracing the city, Embiid became an MVP-caliber player, and he won the regular-season award last season by posting monstrous totals: 33.1 points per game, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists, while leading the Sixers to the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. But once again, Embiid and the Sixers failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, falling to the Celtics in seven games. In Game 7, Embiid scored just 15 points on 5-for-18 shooting, while Celtics star Jayson Tatum exploded for 51 points.
This offseason has been a dramatic—and perhaps disastrous—one for the Sixers. Embiid’s star teammate James Harden demanded a trade and went on the offensive when the Sixers indicated they planned to keep him. At an Adidas event in China, Harden called Sixers GM Daryl Morey “a liar” in unequivocal terms and later threw a party where a woman was spotted holding up a sign that said “Daryl Morey is a liar.” Harden has seemingly participated in Sixers practices, but he has yet to play in the preseason.
Embiid hasn’t played in the preseason yet, and while he hasn’t escalated anything to Harden’s level, he scrubbed any reference to the Sixers from his Twitter and Instagram accounts just hours after Harden called Morey a liar. Embiid also appeared to call out the Sixers for their offseason inactivity earlier this month after the Bucks and Celtics reloaded by acquiring Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday.
All of that drama prompted significant trade speculation about Embiid, but the Sixers’ superstar apparently hasn’t requested one yet.
Some free advice: Maybe Morey should ensure that Embiid spends some time talking to Harper whenever the baseball postseason is over.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.