There was a time when Joel Embiid considered retiring from the NBA, and there was a personal reason behind his contemplation.
In a personal essay on The Players’ Tribune, the Philadelphia 76ers star wrote that he almost quit basketball after his brother, Arthur, was killed in a car accident.
“I actually don’t know how many people know this, but right after I got drafted, back in 2014, I thought about walking away from the game. I’m not exaggerating at all. I seriously considered retiring from the NBA before I’d even played one game.
He further added that it was a lot more complicated. “It actually had nothing to do with injuries. Your body, it heals. It always heals. All that pain is just temporary. Your heart, though? Man—that’s different. It’s a lot more complicated.“
Arthur was 13 at the time of his death, a tragedy that left a scar on Embiid, who felt he had lost his purpose in life. “I really just wanted to quit the game and go back home to Cameroon to be with my family.”
At the time, he was drafted by Philadelphia but was under rehab for a foot injury. Je missed his first couple of seasons but later suited up for 31 games in the 2016-17 season. He also noted that the loss of Arthur helped him get back on the floor.
The center had just been drafted by the 76ers but was dealing with a foot injury that required extensive rehab. He missed his first two seasons in the league before finally appearing in 31 games in the 2016-17 campaign.
“So I just pushed on. A lot of days, it sucked. On a lot of days, I just wanted to get on a flight back home. I wanted to quit. But I just kept putting in the work every day for two years to try to get healthy, to try to get better, to try to take one step onto an NBA court. I felt like if I did that, then my brother would be really proud of me.”
Editorializing a little bit, they say time heals, and clearly that was the case with Embiid. After he did return to the Sixers fold, he has been a force averaging 27.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists from 394 games.
Now, he’s gone on to become MVP this season and is still focused on delivering a championship for the Sixers.
Joel Embiid’s Motivating Message After Winning MVP This Season
Joel Embiid vs. Nikola Jokic for MVP was one of the long-standing topics in the NBA for months now, and the debate has finally been put to rest with the former winning the battle of the centers.
Soon after his win, he shared an inspirational message to the media saying, “For us Africans, we don’t have a lot of these opportunities. The probability of us making it here and let alone being an MVP is probably negative zero. But improbable doesn’t mean impossible.”
The numbers and his sheer brilliant performances speak for themselves. The ongoing playoffs saw him average 20.0 PPG, 11.3 RPG, and 2.3 BPG. And safe to say, he has been an inspiration for players around the world. It’s finally nice to see Embiid win an award that was long due.
Hopefully, he will be able to translate his efforts to something special for the Sixers this season.
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