Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid’s post-game comments are heartbreaking
The Philadelphia 76ers don’t deserve Joel Embiid.
When the Philadelphia 76ers left the Wild World of Sports court they’d temporarily called home for their fourth and final loss to the Boston Celtics, it left nary an optimistic heart in the City of Brotherly Love.
At this point, I’m sure you’ve read it all already and will continue to do so for the next few hours, days, weeks, even months. ‘The 76ers are doomed‘, ‘Brett Brown is being scapegoated‘, and worst of all ‘Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons can’t co-exist‘. These opinions are equally as tired as they are timely, with a pinch of melancholy thrown in for good measure.
However, what Joel Embiid said after the game, when talking to the media for one final time before leaving the NBA Bubble, is truly heartbreaking.
"“I always said I want to play my entire career in Philly. If it happens, good. If it doesn’t, I’ll move on.”"
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Don’t believe me? Watch it for yourself here.
Now on the surface, these words are fairly measured, toothless, and ineffective. Embiid didn’t request a trade, demand a trade, or give any sort of out-of-character ultimatums a lesser man may throw around in such an emotionally charged time. But my goodness, watching the big fella say those words not one year removed from writing a touching tribute to his adoptive hometown is the absolute worst.
Joel Embiid loves Philadelphia, loves the fans, and loves the Sixers. He isn’t some fairweather mercenary looking to maximize his earning potential where it’s sunny and the leaves don’t change. Embiid embraced Philly, warts and all, and practically fed off the city’s fervent, dare I say aggressive energy.
And why wouldn’t he? Embiid suffered through setback after setback between his selection third overall in the 2014 NBA Draft and his regular-season debut on October 26th, 2018, in a 97-103 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. If I recall correctly, Sam Hinkie drafted Jahlil Okafor third overall in the 2015 NBA Draft not because Kristaps Porzingis refused to even work out for the organization – though that probably didn’t help – but to serve as a backup plan should Embiid fail to physically recover enough to play meaningful minutes in the NBA.
Sidebar: For everything Sam Hinkie deservedly gets credit for, his beliefs that an NBA team needs a dominant center to become championship-caliber has to be a dark spot on his legacy.
Since that rookie season, all 31 games of it, Joel Embiid has been the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s been the team’s best player, he’s gotten butts into seats at the Wells Fargo Center, and his goofy, boundless aura has given basketball fans in Philly something they’ve lacked since Allen Iverson and Hip Hop shared a court for the then-black and gold: Hope.
Joel Embiid wore a mask for the Sixers after Markelle Fultz broke his face pre-playoffs, he improved on his stat line in each of his first three seasons with the team, and even let out a display of pure emotion for the world to see after succumbing to the Toronto Raptors in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
dark. Next. The Exorcism of Brett William Brown
Without Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers have no heart. If he leaves, the Philadelphia 76ers have no soul. And the mere fact that he’s resigned himself to maybe not finishing out his career where it began a half-decade ago is honestly the biggest inditement of just how poorly the team’s situation has gotten to not two years removed from being the most exciting young team in the NBA. Brutal.