Getty Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers smiles in the final minutes of second half of Game Six of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on April 28, 2022 in Toronto, Canada.
Joel Embiid seemingly does it all for the Philadelphia 76ers organization. He has been the lone stable piece within the franchise over nearly the last decade. Through all the front office, coaching, and roster turnover it has been Embiid that has remained the face of the franchise. His role has never diminished and, if anything, he has become more important to the on-court product. This was put on full display during the Sixers’ most recent victory over the Utah Jazz in which Embiid tallied 59 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 7 blocks and became the first player in NBA history to record this statline.
Embiid made his presence known beyond just the stat sheet and helped secure the victory in a unique fashion. With just 20.5 seconds remaining in the game and the Sixers holding a five-point lead, Lauri Markkanen went to the free-throw line with a chance to make it a one-possession game. Embiid got in the 25-year-old’s ear and whispered something leading up to the attempts. Markkanen went on to miss both free throws which, in addition to providing the fans with free Chick-fil-A, sealed the game for the Sixers.
on top of everything Joel Embiid did in the box score tonight, here he is jawing in Lauri Markkanen’s ear before two clutch free throws at the end of the game. Lauri then missed both.
What Did Embiid Say?
Following the victory, Embiid was asked what he said to Markkanen leading up to the shot attempts. The Sixers superstar shared a wry grin and admitted he may have lied to the Jazz forward. Embiid said he told the Finnish product that he wanted to avoid overtime because he had to get home to put his son Arthur to bed. After smiling about this, Embiid admitted this was a lie as the now two-year-old has a strict 7:30 bedtime.
Joel Embiid said he told Lauri Markkanen he had to put his son Arthur to sleep when he shot those free throws late in the first quarter, so he wanted him to miss to avoid overtime.
Embiid admitted he lied – he said Arthur is in bed every night at 7:30pm sharp.
Embiid’s Growth in Maturity
Now 28 years old, Embiid has come a long way in his maturity since entering the NBA. His days of tweeting at Rihanna and recruiting LeBron James to Philadelphia are long gone. While he still shares an occasional jab online, Embiid has become much more serious in his outlook on life.
This has especially been the case since becoming a father. Embiid announced the birth of his son on September 24th, 2020 after keeping it under wraps in the months leading up to the child being born. He was named Arthur after Embiid’s brother who tragically passed away at the age of 13 back in Cameroon.
Joel Embiid welcomes his son Arthur Elijah De Paula Embiid 🙏
(via @JoelEmbiid)
The growth in maturity has been seen on the basketball court as well. Embiid has now become a perennial MVP candidate and appears on track to end in the conversation again this season. The slow start to the year caused concerns among some fans, but it is quite clear that he is back to playing at his superstar level. Between his 59 points and eight assists, Embiid counted for 74% of the Sixers’ points scored while being a dominant force on the defensive end. There is a real argument that it was the best performance of his career with some subtle trash talk on the late-game free-throw attempts as the ultimate chef’s kiss to seal the deal.
The Sixers will continue to rely heavily on Embiid, especially while James Harden remains out. While the big man has some notable knocks of his own, the Sixers big man is familiar with putting the organization on his back for stretches at a time. If he can maintain this impressive level when Harden returns, the Sixers’ ceiling as a team is sky-high.