The “Confusing, Mysterious Situation” Surrounding Joel Embiid
It’s tough for fans of the Philadelphia 76ers to scan the daily headlines without seeing the name Joel Embiid. A 7-foot-0 former NBA MVP will always command attention, but the situation surrounding Embiid early in the 2024-25 season has reached new heights.
The Wells Fargo Center crowd let out a collective sigh on Friday when Matt Cord announced the big fella on the inactive list before a matchup against Ben Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets.
Joel Embiid will also miss Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers because of swelling in his left knee, and it’s fair to wonder about the stability of his future with the Sixers.
Drama Surrounds Joel Embiid
The Sixers have limped to a 3-12 record in the basement of the Eastern Conference with their superstar off the court for 11 of their 15 games. Instead of talking about the team’s chances at the NBA Finals, the commentators have been preoccupied with a multitude of stories surrounding Joel Embiid.
- Medical issues affecting his availability
- Questions about his conditioning
- A physical altercation with a media member and subsequent suspension
- Leaked information from a private team meeting about his habit to show up late for team activities
- Multiple instances of controversial public comments
Embiid’s recent comments about negativity following him around are accurate.
Whether or not you consider any number of these circumstances his own fault, the status of his career as a dominant NBA center and Philadelphia’s playoff and title chances in 2024-25 and future seasons have drastically shifted in recent weeks. What does the future hold for Joel Embiid?
Sam Amick: “On Track To Being One Of Those Tragic NBA Characters”
Sam Amick of The Athletic joined The Mike Missanelli Show to discuss his first-hand knowledge of the “confusing, mysterious situation” surrounding Embiid early in the 2024-25 NBA season.
The negativity traces much further back to earlier seasons of Embiid’s career. However, Amick rewound to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Most athletes speak about the Olympics with a tone of honor and sportsmanship set apart from professional sports. Embiid didn’t necessarily have that same experience.
“He did not seem to be enjoying himself all that much during his time over there. Obviously, he was getting booed left and right because of the choice not to play for the French team… Maybe, years upon years of setbacks physically, and then you’ve got negativity when you’re trying to just go win a gold medal in the olympics, maybe some of that is bleeding into his state of mind now.” -Sam Amick
Amick also spoke with uncertainty about the knee issue keeping Embiid out of the lineup.
“It’s a very, very confusing, mysterious situation for me when you talk about the knee and the things that don’t add up. If the knee was this tenuous, then why was he playing (in Paris)?… If he was able to go to every practice and every shootaround and take part in every single activity with Team USA, then why did that suddenly shift? I do feel like there was some kind of setback along the way. It seems pretty clear.” -Sam Amick
Sitting out three days after his most recent game is an obvious indicator that Joel Embiid is not in the best position physically to lead the Sixers to title contention in 2024-25.
The continuous drama off the court raises serious questions if he’s in the best position mentally.
Where is this all going? Sixers fans have no answers. There is no clear resolution for this seemingly constant web of negativity.
“At this point, he’s on this track to being one of those tragic NBA characters that was never able to maximize his potential.” -Sam Amick
