Joel Embiid might be one of the best players in the league right now, but his journey in the NBA hasn’t been easy. The Philadelphia 76ers superstar missed the first two seasons due to a foot injury.
Although Embiid returned to the lineup in his third season, he only managed to stay healthy for just 31 games. After that, he was once again sidelined. At the time, it felt like the 76ers made a mistake by picking Embiid with the third overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Additionally, Embiid has also admitted, there was a time when he felt like he didn’t have the potential to be in the NBA. Keeping that in mind, when he was handed a 5-year deal by the 76ers, it felt like a terrible decision.
Fortunately for the Sixers, that gamble paid off and now they have one of the most amazing NBA superstars on their team.
Speaking of the 76ers’ decision to give Embiid the multi-year extension, Embiid recently revealed his honest thoughts about that in a podcast. Embiid said:
Via Essentially Sports:
“I was like, ‘what are you talking about?’ I haven’t played basketball, I can’t play 31 games in 3 years. I never believed in myself. He[Embiid’s agent] started going about all these over the details in the contract. I don’t care, how much is guaranteed? I’m signing whatever because this is insane! They giving me a $150 million after playing 31 games! I was like ‘they gotta be crazy’”.
Well, as it turns out the 76ers’ management wasn’t crazy for believing in Joel. Their decision worked out well and now they have an MVP candidate on the roster.
As of now, the 76ers are the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference. Additionally, they are expected to be one of the top contenders to win the 2022 NBA Championship. With Embiid now being paired up with James Harden, they definitely have a legit shot to win the title.
