Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid was so devastated with injury troubles that he wanted to quit basketball and go home in 2014.
Imagine making millions of dollars to be around an NBA team for two years, while not having to play in any games. Sweet, right?
Well, not so much. For Joel Embiid, having to sit on the sideline and not be able to play for his first two consecutive seasons was a living nightmare. It just goes to show that it’s not always about the money.
Speaking on an upcoming episode for ESPN Radio, Embiid discussed the terrors that occurred to him during his seasons of injury recovery.
“I was such in a dark place, I wanted to quit basketball,” Embiid said.
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The ESPN article also points out that Embiid was in more than just a tough place from a basketball side of things. He also had to face the passing of his brother, who died in a car crash back home in Cameroon.
So, what got Embiid through? We could credit that to Sixers head coach Brett Brown in both cases. Brown worked with Embiid throughout his recovery, and worked with his development off the court to set him up as best he could when he did debut. While the team could have put Embiid’s skills on the back burner because of the injury issues he was facing, they ensured they didn’t waste his injury years, making incredible strides with a player who appeared in zero total games. The most notable was his jump shot.
Additionally, head coach Brett Brown slept over in Embiid’s apartment the day he found out about his brother, making sure he was okay.
Embiid acknowledges how hard those times were, but sees a huge light at the end of the tunnel — the Rookie of the Year Award.
“I was in a bad place. ComingS back and having a chance to be the Rookie of the Year, I think it’s going to pay for all the sacrifices that I made,” Embiid said.
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That award is one that is highly sought after, and a highly debated one, too. Embiid, being around his NBA team for two years leading up to his “rookie” season, has a bit of an advantage over those who are in their true first season this year. Still, he also missed out on competitive basketball for two years, so one could argue he’s disadvantaged in other ways.
Embiid, earlier in the season, mentioned that he wasn’t too concerned about getting the award because he, didn’t think it would help him get his celebrity crush (who mentioned before he was drafted into the NBA that she would go on a date with him once he was an All-Star). After being snubbed for the All-Star game, Embiid and Sixers fans certainly hope the NBA voting doesn’t snub Embiid on his ROY claim as well.
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Oh, and did Embiid see this success coming? Not one bit.
“I think I’m more surprised than everybody else,” he said to ESPN Radio.