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Is Philadelphia ready for Joel Embiid’s Debut?

By Bret Stuter

Apr 8, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) practices prior to a game against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center. The New York Knicks won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) practices prior to a game against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center. The New York Knicks won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 8, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) practices prior to a game against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center. The New York Knicks won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) practices prior to a game against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center. The New York Knicks won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

It’s been an epic journey. Lesser players would have given up long ago. Lesser general managers would have walked away. Both stood their ground. Now it’s up to Philadelphia. Are you ready for Joel Embiid‘s NBA debut?

This has taken on a story of legend already.  Before he ever steps foot onto a basketball court, the sheer fact that Joel Embiid is about to debut for the Philadelphia 76ers this season is the embodiment of virtually every principal that comprised the #TrustTheProcess phenomenon under Philadelphia 76ers former president Sam Hinkie.

Is the city of Philadelphia ready for the debut?

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We’ve read the stories.   The young man from Cameroon was enticed to the game of basketball by a video of NBA player highlights. Not only did he discover his passion from watching a video, but he discovered that he had a knack for emulating the moves he saw from a video in his own play afterwards.

We followed day by day as the young man was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers as the third player chosen in the 2014 NBA Draft.   We followed the two year timeline of his recovery, setback, surgery, and recovery.  We followed the path of this young man as though he was a sibling, a member of our family, a young man whose infectious laugh and snarky quips on social media have endeared us to him permanently.

So few athletes truly understand what it means, and takes, to succeed in the city of Philadelphia.  The city is more than just another blue collar town.  It’s a city filled with hopeless romantics – a city whose fans are eager to place their professional sports icons on a pedestal as larger than life personna.  But that comes with a price.  It’s a spot that is not a legacy, a blue blooded nobility that comes without question or price tag.  It’s a spot that immediately becomes a level of homage that must be earned.

But somehow, I think Joel Embiid is up to the task.

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