As Adrian told Rocky in Rocky II, there’s only one thing for Joel Embiid left to do for the city of Philadelphia: win.
As Rocky Balboa gears up for his rematch with Apollo Creed in Rocky II, Adrian Balboa has complications during childbirth and slips into a coma. Rocky halts his training to tend to his wife. When she finally awakens and the couple holds their newborn son, Rocky asks Adrian what he can do for her.
Her response: win.
With the business side of things done — both for himself and core teammates — and enough personal accolades to have No. 21 hang in the rafters one day, there’s only one thing left for Joel Embiid to do for the city he loves: win.
Embiid is one of the greatest Sixers of all time. That’s not a hot take. It’s really not even an opinion. He’s been the focal point of the most successful Sixers’ run since Allen Iverson left town. His name is all over the team’s record books and continues to climb.
In the history of the NBA, only 36 different players have won the MVP award. Of those 36, only five have been Sixers.
Wilt.
Dr. J.
Moses.
A.I.
The Process.
Unlike Wilt Chamberlain, Moses Malone and Allen Iverson, Embiid took a huge step to possibly finishing his career with the Sixers Friday morning, signing a three-year, $193 million max extension. While Julius Erving ended his career with a last dance in Philadelphia, Embiid has a chance to do something even Doc didn’t do — spend his entire career as a Sixer.
It’s simply not something you see that often in the NBA — or any pro sport for that matter. Sure, Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki did it, but there are far more old photos of guys like Patrick Ewing in a Magic jersey or Hakeem Olajuwon suiting up for the Raptors. Hell, Michael Jordan was a Washington Wizard for two seasons. These are cursed images.
With this extension done, the Sixers are locked into the trio of Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George through (very likely) the 2027-28 season. That’s an enviable position to be in for the foreseeable future.
As mentioned, this is undeniably one of the most successful eras of Sixers basketball. The franchise has only captured two titles in its history in Philadelphia. One was in 1967, in the midst of Chamberlain capturing three straight MVPs and playing alongside greats like Hal Greer, Chet Walker and Billy Cunningham. The other was in 1983, when Erving finally got over the hump thanks to the team acquiring the reigning MVP in Malone to go along with Hall of Famers Maurice Cheeks and Bobby Jones. Those were without doubt the most successful runs for Sixers basketball.
But man, did it get bad for a minute there.
Outside of drafting Charles Barkley, the organization made mistake after mistake (including trading Chuck for pennies on the dollar) before Iverson finally landed in their laps in 1996. The Answer was mercurial on and off the court, but his greatness helped the Sixers make their first Finals appearance since 1983. Unfortunately, the Sixers only advanced past the first round once after 2001 as Iverson’s relationship with legendary coach Larry Brown was too volatile to continue.
To put it bluntly, it was basically a decade of mediocrity after Iverson was traded to the Nuggets. Finally, a forward-thinking executive decided to blow things up in 2013. Sam Hinkie didn’t get everything right (in fairness, he got a lot right), but he sure did nail the pick of Embiid in 2014.
While injuries have been an unfortunate part of Embiid’s story, without his injury concerns, he likely wouldn’t be a Sixer.
Embiid was the favorite to go No. 1 overall out of Kansas in 2014. The ping-pong balls didn’t bounce the Sixers’ way and they wound up with the third overall pick. Still, that wasn’t a terrible outcome. The Cavaliers would likely take Embiid with the first pick. That meant the Sixers were guaranteed to get one of Duke’s Jabari Parker or Andrew Wiggins, Embiid’s Jayhawk teammate. Whichever wing the Bucks didn’t select at No. 2 would’ve been an ideal fit next to Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams and 2013 first-rounder Nerlens Noel, who missed his first NBA season because of a torn ACL.
When Embiid suffered a navicular bone fracture during the pre-draft process, everything changed. Cleveland and Milwaukee passed on the 7-foot Cameroonian. Not Hinkie. In perhaps his boldest — and without a doubt his best — move running the Sixers, Hinkie took a huge chance, selecting Embiid. And boy, did Hinkie and the organization take plenty of heat as Embiid sat out his first two NBA seasons.
Embiid is a seven-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA performer, three-time All-Defensive Team pick, a two-time scoring champ, and, of course, the 2022-23 MVP. The Sixers have made the playoffs the last seven seasons, advancing past the first round in all but two of those years. Sure, the playoff disappointments sting, but there has to be a measure of hope for one to feel disappointment. The Sixers have had more hope with Embiid than they have since Iverson left town.
That brings us to the 2024-25 season. Embiid is flanked by Maxey and George, easily forming the best Big 3 the Sixers have had since the big man’s career began. The roster is full of veterans with multi-faceted skill sets. It’s arguably the best and most diverse supporting cast the big fella has ever had.
There are no excuses. You don’t get the sense Embiid is looking for them anyway. He knows what he has to do.
Joel Embiid is one of the greatest players in franchise history. Now he’ll look to truly cement his legacy by bringing home the team’s third Larry O’Brien trophy. That journey begins Oct. 23, with an opening night date hosting Doc Rivers, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.
As Mickey said, what are we waiting for?