Joel Embiid hinted at the idea of possibility leaving Philadelphia and playing for another franchise recently in an interview with Maverick Carter.
Reaction to Embiid's comments begins at 11:00 mark
“I just want to win a championship," Embiid told Carter last Thursday at the first annual UNINTERRUPTED Film Festival at NeueHouse Hollywood.
"Whatever it takes," Embiid continued. "I don’t know where that’s going to be. Whether it’s in Philly or anywhere else. I just want to have a chance to accomplish it. I want to see what it feels like to win that first one and then you can think about that next one. It's not easy. It takes more than one, two, three guys. Got to have good people around you. Myself, every single day I work hard to be at that level...Every single day that's working toward that goal, that's where my mindset has always been. MVP is just an added bonus...it's amazing. I know a lot of people take it for granted, but there's not a lot of people that get to have that opportunity to be called the MVP of the league. So I was extremely happy about it, excited about it, but the championship is one thing that I got to work hard for."
The comments went viral today and Embiid took to Twitter, claiming he was "trolling."
Related
Following the reaction to Embiid's comments, BetOnline.ag released odds for Embiid's next team (if not the Sixers).
Embiid is literally called "The Process" and has been at the top of the food chain in Philadelphia sports since he was drafted third overall by the Sixers in 2014.
The 29-year-old has continued to ascend throughout his NBA career after an injury-riddled beginning, winning the 2022-23 NBA MVP award, but ultimately the city has begun to question whether or not Embiid can lead a team to a title after losing in the first or second-round of the playoffs in six consecutive seasons.
Embiid is under contract for the next three seasons set to make $47.6 million, $51.4 million, and $55.2 million, respectively, before he has a $59 million player option for the 2026-27 season.
As a team, the Sixers are somewhat stuck with limited assets, and Embiid likely realizes that. This offseason, the team replaced head coach Doc Rivers with Nick Nurse, a move that reportedly "blind sided" Embiid. Furthermore, Embiid's co-star James Harden reportedly wants to be traded, specifically to the Los Angeles Clippers, and Philadelphia had zero draft picks in this year's NBA Draft.
"I think it is very significant that he said what he said," Joe DeCamara said on Monday's 94WIP Morning Show when hearing the comments.
You can watch the full Embiid-Carter interview below:
Keep up with 94WIP via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram