Joel Embiid hit with hard reality check by Kendrick Perkins' something to prove list
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As superstar Joel Embiid and the Philadephia 76ers prepare for training camp next week, 2024-25 could be the most talented team the 2023 MVP center has had throughout his eight-year career. All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey is 23 and coming off his best season, averaging 25.9 points, 6.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. The 76ers added Paul George during the offseason, signing him to a four-year, $212 million deal over the summer, and signed Reggie Jackson. Perhaps for these reasons, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins named Embiid no. 1 on his top five players with something to prove this upcoming season.
Embiid’s name was followed by Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Damian Lillard, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, Julius Randle, and Karl-Anthony Towns, two stars who swapped teams late Friday night in a blockbuster deal involving the New York Knicks and the Minnesota Timberwolves, per NBA on ESPN.
Kendrick Perkins names his top 5 players with something to prove
Joel Embiid
Damian Lillard
Ja Morant
Julius Randle
Karl-Anthony TownsThoughts?
(via @ESPNNBA) pic.twitter.com/NiiBmjUo7M
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 27, 2024
Joel Embiid signs three-year extension with 76ers
Kendrick Perkins watched Sixers superstar Joel Embiid have an eventful summer during the offseason. After winning the gold medal as a member of Team USA in the 2024 Olympics, Embiid signed a three-year, $193 million extension with the 76ers and vowed to stay in Philadelphia for the rest of his NBA career.
Embiid also traveled to his native Cameroon, where he received an honor from the president less than a week before training camp. Perhaps these events leading into such a promising season will breed great results in the form of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals or beyond. Joel has never seen beyond the second round of the NBA playoffs, nor has the franchise since Allen Iverson led the Sixers to the NBA Finals in 2001.
After his extension, Embiid posted a heartfelt letter to his fans and the city of Philadelphia in a post on his Instagram account.
"Philadelphia is home. I want to be here for the rest of my career," Embiid wrote. "I love this community and everything you've given me and my family. There is a lot more work to do. You guys deserve a championship and I think we're just getting started! #TrustTheProcess."
Embiid, whose nickname, “The Process,” was embedded into the fabric of the 76ers organization, and its famous slogan, “Trust the Process,” marked the genesis of Joel’s career. He missed his first two seasons due to a devastating stress fracture days before the 2024 NBA Draft that only worsened the following year after Embiid reinjured his foot and required another surgery.
The seven-time All-Star and two-time scoring champion is entering his ninth season with the 76ers.
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