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User:GhostRiver/embiid

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Early life

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Embiid was born on 16 March 1994 in Yaoundé, Cameroon.[1] He was born to Thomas Embiid, a colonel in the Cameroon Armed Forces and retired professional handball player,[2] and Thomas's wife Christine.[3]

College career

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Embiid with the Jayhawks in 2014

After receiving offers from the basketball departments at the University of Florida and University of Texas at Austin, Embiid verbally committed to play college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks in 2012. He told reporters that he settled on Kansas after talking to Luc Mbah a Moute, who praised the Jayhawks' player development program.[4] He was expected to start the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season off the bench, as Kansas already had a capable starting lineup, but he drew preseason praise from coach Bill Self, who compared Embiid to Hakeem Olajuwon.[5] In only his third college basketball game, Embiid had 16 points and 13 rebounds in an 86–66 victory over the Iona Gaels.[6] He followed this effort on 30 November against the UTEP Miners, with nine points, six rebounds, and seven blocks in 21 minutes of play. The latter broke Nick Collison's record for blocks by a Kansas freshman.[7] On 10 December, Embiid was placed in the starting lineup, joining three other freshman. He played for 30 minutes in the 67–61 loss to Florida, with six points and six rebounds in the process.[8] By 23 December, he averaged 10.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, with a 68 percent overall shooting rate and a 71 percent two-point field goal completion rate.[9]

On 20 January 2014, after recording a combined 29 points, 20 rebounds, and 13 blocks in a two-game series against Iowa State and Oklahoma State, Embiid was named the Big 12 Conference newcomer of the week.[10] Despite his offensive metrics, Self showed some concern about Embiid's on-court temper, which had led to several technical fouls and game ejections.[11] At the end of the month, Embiid suffered a sprained knee and a bone bruise during a game against Texas Christian University, and while he was given time to rest by Self and team doctors, he was also told that he was lucky not to have suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury.[12] He returned on 17 February for 18 points and eight rebounds in Kansas's 64–63 victory over Texas Tech.[13] On 22 February, Embiid blocked his 63rd shot of the season, breaking Eric Chenowith's record for most blocks by a Kansas freshman.[14] That March, Embiid aggravated a February back injury, and he was placed on rest for the Jayhawks' final two regular season games in the hope that he would be healthy for the Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament and the 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.[15] The injury continued to bother him even after those games, and a spinal specialist diagnosed him with a stress fracture that would cause Embiid to miss the entirety of the Big 12 Tournament and possibly the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament.[16] Without Embiid, the Jayhawks were quickly eliminated in the NCAA Tournament by Stanford, who defeated Kansas 60-57.[17]

Professional career

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Draft

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After significant speculation, Embiid formally announced on 9 April 2014 that he would be leaving the University of Kansas after one season to enter the 2014 NBA Draft.[18] He and Kansas teammate Andrew Wiggins were projected to be top-three draft prospects,[19] with various NBA executives largely unconcerned with Embiid's college injuries.[20] On 19 June, just before the draft, Embiid's agent announced that he had suffered another stress fracture, this time to the navicular bone of his right foot, and that he would undergo surgical repair. The announcement of another injury put Embiid's draft ranking in question: he had been invited to practice with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who held the first overall draft selection, and had been scheduled to exercise with the No. 2 Milwaukee Bucks.[21] Ultimately, the Cavaliers selected Wiggins first overall, while the Bucks took Jabari Parker from Duke University.[22] Embiid, meanwhile, was taken third overall by the Philadelphia 76ers.[23] He was the third Cameroonian basketball player to be taken in the NBA draft, following Mbah a Moute and Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, and was the highest-drafted player from the country.[24]

Philadelphia 76ers (2014–present)

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Embiid in 2018

Embiid, who underwent surgery to place two screws in his fractured navicular bone, was given an original time frame of four to six months of recovery. 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie then clarified that the recovery time was closer to five to eight months, which put Embiid at risk of missing the entire 2014–15 season.[25]

  • 2014–15
  • 2015–16
Embiid in 2018
  • 2016–17
  • 2017–18
Embiid in 2019
  • 2018–19
  • 2019–20
Embiid in 2019
  • 2020–21

Embiid and the 76ers agreed to a four-year, $196 million Designated Veteran Player Extension, commonly know as a "supermax extension", on 17 August 2021.[26][27] He entered the 2021–22 season with a self-proclaimed desire to expand his playmaking abilities and focus on more than scoring.[28] Through the first two weeks of the season, Embiid was one of several NBA players whose shooting abilities seemed to falter, a deficit that he attributed to the unfamiliar Wilson Sporting Goods basketball that the league adopted after ending their relationship with Spalding.[29] Embiid was the fourth 76er to contract the COVID-19 virus during a team outbreak at the start of November, and health and safety protocols required him to miss at least five games. During his isolation, Andre Drummond took his place in the team's starting lineup.[30] He missed nine games with what he described as a serious case of the illness that led to shortness of breath and severe headaches. Embiid returned on 27 November, scoring 42 points in a 121–120 double overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.[31]

National team career

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Player profile

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Offense

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Defense

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Off the court

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Personal life

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Public image

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To sportswriters and 76ers fans, Embiid has become emblematic of the phrase "trust the process", introduced by former 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie as a way of promising fans that a championship title would follow an extended rebuild.[32][33]

Relationship with Ben Simmons

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Embiid with his teammate Ben Simmons (right)

Embiid has a fraught relationship with his 76ers teammate Ben Simmons. Rumors of a rift began in 2019, when Simmons accidentally hit Embiid in the face during a game against the Columbus Clippers, to which Embiid had a negative reaction. Embiid clarified afterwards that his reaction was due to an instinctive fear of being hit in the area that had previously suffered a fracture.[34]

In 2020, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer compared Embiid and Simmons's relationship to that of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, who won the NBA championship in 2000 and 2001 amidst their own feud.[35]

This TKTK began to deepen after the 2021 playoffs. In a post-game press conference, Embiid told reporters that he believed the "turning point" in Game 7 was when Simmons failed to make an open shot.[36]

References

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  1. ^ Spears, Marc J. (26 October 2016). "Joel Embiid's long-awaited return to the court – and the plot twists along the way". The Undefeated. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  2. ^ Levick, Noah (3 February 2021). "Embiid opens up about fatherhood, how his son is motivating him". NBC Sports Philadelphia. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  3. ^ Baldi, Ryan (15 October 2021). "Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid: the making of an NBA superhero". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  4. ^ Telep, Dave (13 November 2012). "Kansas lands recruit Joel Embiid". ESPN. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  5. ^ Mellinger, Sam (6 August 2014). "In Joel Embiid, the Kansas Jayhawks have a star-to-be". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  6. ^ Dodd, Rustin (19 November 2013). "Freshman center Joel Embiid impresses as Kansas beats Iona 86–66". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  7. ^ "Freshman center Joel Embiid emerges as a presence for Jayhawks". The Kansas City Star. 30 November 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  8. ^ Dodd, Rustin (11 December 2013). "Freshman center Joel Embiid makes first start for Jayhawks". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  9. ^ Dodd, Rustin (23 December 2013). "Joel Embiid could be key to the Jayhawks' offense". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  10. ^ Dodd, Rustin (20 January 2014). "KU's Tharpe, Embiid win Big 12 weekly awards". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  11. ^ Kerkhoff, Blair (13 January 2014). "Take the good with the bad with KU's Joel Embiid". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  12. ^ Dodd, Rustin (11 February 2014). "Self remains unclear on how long Embiid will rest". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Joel Embiid feels good in KU's win over Texas Tech". The Kansas City Star. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  14. ^ Dodd, Rustin (23 February 2014). "Joel Embiid breaks KU freshman blocks record". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  15. ^ Dodd, Rustin (3 March 2014). "KU's Embiid to sit final two regular-season games with back injury". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  16. ^ Dodd, Rustin (10 March 2014). "KU's Joel Embiid out of Big 12 Tournament because of stress fracture in back". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  17. ^ Dodd, Rustin (25 March 2014). "Embiid's injury created crack in Jayhawks' game". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  18. ^ Kerkhoff, Blair (9 April 2014). "KU's Joel Embiid to follow Andrew Wiggins into NBA Draft". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  19. ^ Dodd, Rustin (12 May 2014). "Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid to skip NBA Draft Combine". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  20. ^ Golliver, Ben (9 April 2014). "Kansas' Joel Embiid declares for 2014 NBA draft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  21. ^ Dodd, Rustin (19 June 2014). "Possible top pick Joel Embiid suffers stress fracture in foot before NBA Draft". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  22. ^ "Bucks take Duke F Jabari Parker". ESPN. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  23. ^ "Sixers draft Joel Embiid at No. 3". ESPN. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  24. ^ Conn, Jordan Ritter (27 June 2014). "Started From Yaoundé, Now He's Here". Grantland. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  25. ^ "Embiid to miss 5–8 months after foot surgery". NBC Sports Philadelphia. 27 June 2014. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  26. ^ "76ers Sign Joel Embiid to Contract Extension". National Basketball Association. Philadelphia 76ers. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  27. ^ Shelburne, Ramona (17 August 2021). "Sources – Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers sign 4-year, $196 million supermax extension through 2026–27". ESPN. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  28. ^ Pompey, Keith (18 October 2021). "Joel Embiid knows he must reach the next level for the Sixers to succeed". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  29. ^ Pompey, Keith (4 November 2021). "Joel Embiid blames the NBA's new Wilson basketball for his early-season shooting struggles". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  30. ^ Bontemps, Tim (8 November 2021). "Source: Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid tests positive for COVID-19, will miss several games". ESPN. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  31. ^ Lev, Jacob (29 November 2021). "Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid on bout with Covid-19: 'I really thought I wasn't going to make it'". CNN. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  32. ^ Aldridge, David (21 November 2016). "A process toward success: Joel Embiid era begins (at last) in Philly". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  33. ^ Rappaport, Max (27 October 2016). "If Joel Embiid Is The Process, His Debut Proved We Should Trust Him". Complex. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  34. ^ Levick, Noah (2 January 2019). "Sixers leave Los Angeles with two fights, one ejection and a win over Clippers". NBC Sports Philadelphia. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  35. ^ Pompey, Keith (27 September 2020). "Tyronn Lue must wonder if it's worth interviewing for a Sixers job that is Mike D'Antoni's to turn down". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  36. ^ Bieler, Des (21 June 2021). "Joel Embiid says Ben Simmons's passed-up dunk was 'turning point' in loss to Hawks". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
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