Joel Embiid and James Harden once formed one of the most dominant duos in the NBA. During the 2022–23 season, they led the Philadelphia 76ers to 54 wins. Embiid captured the scoring title and MVP, while Harden led the league in assists. But in a revealing and emotional interview, Embiid now says Harden no longer speaks to him—and their friendship may be over for good.
“No one knows this, but even James is not talking to me,” said Embiid in a chat with ESPN’s Dotun Akintoye. “That’s the part I don’t like about being ‘that guy,’ because it puts you in the middle of those situations. Because if you ask James, he probably believes I had something to do with him not being here.”
After just 72 games together, the duo split in an ugly breakup that left a lasting stain on both their legacies. While it wasn’t Embiid himself who Harden was beefing with, the whole situation surrounding his exit created a toxic environment that still haunts the former MVP to this day.
“It hurts when you feel like you haven’t done anything wrong. When you think you have a relationship like that with somebody, you lose a lot.”
Embiid was notoriously close with Harden, and they had real chemistry on the court that helped the 76ers land the third seed in the Eastern Conference. In the summer of 2023, however, things reached a breaking point in Philadelphia after Harden felt that GM Daryl Morey reneged on his promise of a max contract extension.
Harden eventually refused to play for the 76ers, citing broken promises from GM Daryl Morey. After a drawn-out standoff, he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, ending his tenure in Philadelphia on a bitter note. We don’t know if Embiid had anything to do with his exit, but he had resorted to calling out his teammate publicly amid the worst of the drama.
James hardly thinks about what he left behind in Philadelphia, but as the one on the other side of that, Embiid still feels the pain that came along with that. Even amid a new partnership that includes Tyrese Maxey and Paul George, Joel can’t help but feel there were things left undone on his time with James Harden.
Unfortunately for Embiid, this seems to be a common trend in his career so far. Whether it was Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, or James Harden, none of Embiid’s co-stars have been a great fit, and none have been able to achieve playoff success in Philadelphia.
Embiid’s latest co-star, Paul George, is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career (16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game) on a 76ers squad that finished 13th in the Eastern Conference. Going into next season, he’s projected to be on the trade block and will join Embiid’s three previous teammates as ex-76ers.
In the end, Embiid’s vulnerability shows how much he values loyalty and connection beyond the box score. For all the numbers and accolades he’s racked up, it’s the broken relationships that seem to haunt him most. As the 76ers try once again to rebuild around their franchise center, only time will tell if Joel Embiid will ever find the teammate—and friendship—that helps him finally reach the NBA mountaintop.
