Getty Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks.
“The Process” is alive and well in Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia 76ers and superstar center Joel Embiid officially agreed to a supermax contract extension on Tuesday. The four-year deal is worth $196 million, begins in the 2023-2024 season and runs through the 2026-2027 campaign.
Sources: 76ers star Joel Embiid has agreed to a four-year, $196 million super maximum contract extension. Major extension for the 2021 NBA MVP runner-up.
Full story on Joel Embiid and Philadelphia 76ers finalizing 4-year, $196 million supermax extension through 2026-27. Deal includes a player option on the final season and is expected to be announced today.
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Embiid represented himself during contract negotiations and qualified for a supermax extension when he finished as the runner-up in the 2020-2021 NBA MVP race and made the All-NBA second team. Here’s how the big man’s fully-guaranteed contract is set to breakdown year-by-year.
The Cameroonian is coming off of his best statistical season, as he averaged 28.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 blocks per game, while posting a career-best shooting line of 51.3/37.7/85.9. Embiid made his fourth All-Star team, third All-Defensive squad and third All-NBA team and was the third-leading scorer in the league only behind Stephen Curry and Bradley Beal.
Sixers Fans, Media, Organization React to Embiid’s Big Pay Day
GettyPhiladelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid during a playoff game in June.
Not only is Embiid set to be one of the richest players in the Association for the foreseeable future, but he is also generally viewed as one of the better-liked stars – if you’re one of his teammates that is. Both current and former teammates quickly took to Twitter Tuesday when news broke of the star’s new deal.
Process got the 💰
Sixers newcomer Georges Niang also was among those to retweet this message sent out from the team’s official Twitter account.
OFFICIAL!
@JoelEmbiid has signed a multi-year contract extension to remain in Philadelphia 📝
Philadelphia-based media members also chimed in on the deal, as did team president Daryl Morey.
Getting Joel Embiid on a super-max extension was the number 1 priority for the #Sixers. Now they’ll completely avoid his unrestricted free agency that would’ve been after the 2022-23 season.
Forward Tobias Harris also retweeted the news to his account within minutes of Embiid posting the following special message.
Did Embiid Imply He Is Staying in Philly for Good?
GettyPhiladelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid prior to a playoff game in June.
Here’s how Embiid himself announced the news of the signing to his $1.8 million Twitter followers.
There’s no place like PHILADELPHIA!!! Excited to continue working towards bringing a title home and eventually retire here #PHILLY
The 27-year-old Embiid will be 33 when his contract extension expires. While many NBA players choose to call it quits in the mid-to-late 30s, it wouldn’t be a surprise for a guy like Embiid to close his career a couple of years premature.
Not only does he stand at 7-feet even and is listed at 280 pounds, but the big man has been one of the most notoriously high-injury-risk players in the entire Association since he was drafted in 2014. A lot of factors will go into how Embiid decides when it’s time for him to hang it up, but reading between the lines of his tweet, it sounds like he has all intentions of retiring as a Sixer.
We’ll see if No. 21 can help deliver a title to the City of Brotherly Love.
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