Getty Joel Embiid and Maxwell "Bunchie" Young attend SPORTS ILLUSTRATED 2017 Sportsperson of the Year Show on December 5, 2017 at Barclays Center in New York City. Tune in to NBCSN on December 8 at 8 p.m. ET or Univision Deportes Network on December 9 at 8 p.m. ET to watch the one hour SPORTS ILLUSTRATED Sportsperson of the Year special.
When people think of Joel Embiid, there are plenty of characteristics that come to mind. The Philadelphia 76ers star has rapidly become one of the most dominant players of this era with a rare combination of size, strength, and grace on the court. However, he has become increasingly private in his personal life as he has matured. Once a guy quick to give his opinion on Twitter or Instagram now spends most nights offline with his son and girlfriend.
Recently he sat down with Brett Night of Forbes and gave a window into his off-court interests. Embiid has become increasingly involved in the business world and has massive goals for the financial future of himself and his family. As he put it, “This summer was big as far as meeting a bunch of people that helped me a lot, teaching me about what’s the best model to go from rich to wealthy.”
Embiid’s Financial Influence
The superstar has done a great job surrounding himself with bright business people to make this possible, headlined by his friend and former Sixers minority owner Michael Rubin. The Fanatics CEO sold his share of the team early this year due to fear of conflict of interest as he seeks to get his company involved in the sports gambling space. Rubin has made it clear that he still fully supports the Sixers and will be present at games often. Some even have theorized that he will be an even greater asset to the Sixers without the strict regulations of the NBA applying to him.
Joel Embiid wishing Sixers co-owner Michael Rubin a happy birthday. Cool to see them have such a tight relationship
Not to fan the drama flames but there was no birthday shoutout for that guy who wears number 25 yesterday
Rubin spoke highly of Embiid’s competitive nature on and off the court and credited him for constantly looking to learn. As he put it, “From the early days, Jo was always incredibly inquisitive, asking you lots of questions, wanting to learn, trying to be a sponge to how he can grow. Different than a lot of NBA players, Jo is very financially disciplined. He may save more and invest more, and spend less, than maybe any player,” per Brett Night of Forbes.
In addition to Rubin, Embiid has built a relationship with New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, who spoke highly about the Sixers superstar in the article. He also credited Embiid with being very smart with his money.
Embiid’s Business Ventures
It has become extremely common for NBA players to be involved in off-court business ventures. James Harden dropped his own wine collection earlier this year, owns several Crunch Fitness franchises, and has a number of other equity plays. Harden also is a close friend of Rubin with this being a key link to the star guard having an interest in coming to Philadelphia in the first place. They also have been spotted in the Hamptons quite a bit together, including at Rubin’s famous ‘White Party’ this summer.
Joel Embiid, James Harden, and their new teammate P.J. Tucker with Meek Mill at Michael Rubin’s party in the Hamptons
Tyrese Maxey was also there
Like most of his personal life, Embiid remains private in what current or potential business ventures are on the table. However, he has shown an interest in media or film already and has invested in Mitchell & Ness, an apparel brand owned by Fanatics, already. The Cameroon native also has given plenty back to Africa and has goals to continue doing so. He cracked the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 list already but has his sights set on continuing to grow this wealth.
In NBA history only LeBron James and Michael Jordan have joined the billionaire club. While the duo is the consensus two best individual basketball players of all time, it took them becoming full brands off the court for this to be the case. While Embiid is a ways away from joining this discussion, don’t be surprised if he finds his own path to this type of generational wealth.