After his Olympic stint with Team USA, Joel Embiid continues his interesting summer by signing a lucrative five-year contract worth $193 million that will keep him with the Philadelphia 76ers until the end of the decade.
While the former MVP is a force whenever he comes inside the basketball court, his history with injuries raises eyebrows about why the Sixers want to commit to Embiid for a long time.
These sentiments are echoed by former NBA player Rashad McCants in Gilbert Arenas‘ podcast ‘Gil’s Arena’, in which he expressed that the Sixers may regret allowing Embiid to be a part of the Olympic team regardless of his injury history.
“[The 76ers] are going to regret allowing him to go to the Olympics because it’s not going to give him the time he needed to recover. So now, he can rest the first 10 games of the season if he wants to… I think he’s going to come in chasing the recovery. Chasing lost time, like he’s going to be trying to make it up by taking games off,” McCants said.
The Sixers will regret Embiid’s Olympic Gold pic.twitter.com/6795oX5Ur9
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) September 24, 2024
Joel Embiid wants to retire with the Philadelphia 76ers
Drafted as the first overall pick in 2014 by the Philadelphia 76ers, Joel Embiid started out slow due to injuries but proved to be a worthy investment once he got it going.
A decade later, the seven-foot center is still considered the Sixers’ cornerstone, and he hopes to reward the team’s trust by signing a five-year extension. At the end of this deal, Embiid will be 35 years old and at the tail-end of his NBA career.
For him, staying in Philadelphia is his priority, and would want to end his basketball career in the city that gave him trust.
“Philadelphia is home. I want to be here for the rest of my career. I love this community and everything you’ve given me and my family. There is a lot more work to do. You guys deserve a championship and I think we’re just getting started.”
In the 2023-24 season, Joel Embiid averaged 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.2 steals in 39 games.
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