1. Joel Hans Embiid is a Cameroonian-American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association.
73 Facts About Joel Embiid
1. 2.
The 7-foot Embiid is a seven-time NBA All-Star, a five-time member of the All-NBA Team, a three-time member of the All-Defensive Team, and a two-time NBA scoring champion.
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Joel Embiid was named the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2023.
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Joel Embiid won a gold medal on the 2024 US Olympic team.
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Joel Embiid nicknamed himself "The Process" to embrace the era in 76ers history in which he began his career.
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Joel Embiid was born in Yaounde, Cameroon, to military officer Thomas Joel Embiid and his wife, Christine.
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Joel Embiid played volleyball and soccer in childhood and originally planned to play professional volleyball in Europe but started playing basketball at age 15, modeling his game after NBA Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon.
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Joel Embiid was discovered at a basketball camp by Luc Mbah a Moute, a fellow native of Yaounde and an NBA player.
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Joel Embiid enrolled at Montverde Academy, Mbah a Moute's alma mater, but transferred after his first year due to a lack of playing time.
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Joel Embiid then attended The Rock School, a Christian academy, in Gainesville, Florida.
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Joel Embiid attended the University of Kansas for one year alongside notable teammate Andrew Wiggins.
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Joel Embiid had over 15 points in seven games and over 5 blocks in six games.
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Joel Embiid subsequently earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors and was named second-team All-Big 12.
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Joel Embiid suffered a stress fracture in his back in March 2014.
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Joel Embiid missed that year's Big 12 tournament and NCAA tournament.
16.
On 9 April 2014, Joel Embiid declared for the 2014 NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility.
17.
On 26 August 2014, Joel Embiid signed his rookie scale contract with the 76ers.
18.
On 4 October 2016, Joel Embiid started at center in the 76ers' first preseason game against the Boston Celtics.
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On 26 October 2016, Joel Embiid made his long-awaited NBA regular-season debut in the 76ers' season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
20.
On 11 February 2017, it was revealed that Joel Embiid had a torn meniscus in his left knee, but that surgery would not be required.
21.
Joel Embiid had seven assists and seven blocked shots, making him the first NBA player with 40 points, seven assists and seven blocks in a game since Julius Erving against the Pistons in 1982.
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Joel Embiid shot 14 for 20 from the field and 16 of 19 at the free throw line, giving him the most points by a Sixers player since Allen Iverson scored 46 against the Chicago Bulls in 2006.
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Joel Embiid underwent surgery three days later, with a two-week return date the likely outcome.
24.
Joel Embiid said in his postgame press conference after Game 5 that he felt there should have been a foul called on his potential game-tying layup attempt with under 20 seconds left.
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Joel Embiid became one of seven players with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 200 blocks in his first 100 games, joining Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson.
26.
Joel Embiid joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only other big man in team history with multiple triple-doubles in the same season.
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Joel Embiid finished the season missing 14 games after the All-Star break, including five of the final seven games, due to rest and injury.
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Joel Embiid battled through illness and flu-like symptoms during the second round of the playoffs, which the Sixers lost in seven games to the Toronto Raptors.
29.
On 31 October 2019, Joel Embiid was suspended for two games without pay due to an altercation with Karl-Anthony Towns during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
30.
Joel Embiid finished the regular season with a then-career-high 28.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 51 games played, leading the Sixers to the best record in the Eastern Conference.
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Joel Embiid was second in NBA Most Valuable Player Award voting.
32.
Philadelphia would go on to lose to Atlanta in seven games despite Joel Embiid averaging 30.4 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
33.
On 17 August 2021, Joel Embiid signed a four-year, $196 million extension with the 76ers.
34.
Joel Embiid missed nine games due to testing positive for COVID-19.
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Joel Embiid became the first Sixers player with a 40-point triple-double since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968.
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Joel Embiid became the first foreign player to win an NBA scoring title and the first Sixer to lead the league in scoring since Allen Iverson won the title for the fourth and final time in 2005.
37.
Joel Embiid finished the game with 33 points and 13 rebounds.
38.
The next day, the Sixers announced that Joel Embiid had suffered a mild concussion and a right orbital fracture and would be out indefinitely.
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Joel Embiid became the third player in 76ers franchise history to have multiple 50-point games in the same season, joining Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain.
40.
Joel Embiid tied Wilt Chamberlain for the second-most 40-point games in 76ers franchise history.
41.
Joel Embiid surpassed Wilt Chamberlain for the second-most 40-point games in 76ers franchise history.
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Joel Embiid became the second player in 76ers franchise history to produce at least four games of 45-plus points, 15-plus rebounds and five-plus assists, joining Wilt Chamberlain.
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Joel Embiid became just the third player in NBA history to record at least 47 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocked shots.
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Joel Embiid joined Hall of Famers Chris Webber and Bob McAdoo with such games.
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Joel Embiid scored a league-best 34.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.6 blocks in 10 games during the month.
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Joel Embiid surpassed Allen Iverson as the fastest player to reach 10,000 career points in 76ers franchise history, doing so in just 373 games.
47.
Joel Embiid surpassed Wilt Chamberlain for the most games with at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in 76ers franchise history.
48.
Joel Embiid put up his ninth consecutive 30-point game, surpassing Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain for the most consecutive games with at least 30 points in 76ers franchise history.
49.
Joel Embiid joined Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only three centers to have three 50-plus-point games in a season in NBA history.
50.
Joel Embiid became the fifth 76er ever to capture league MVP honors, joining Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Allen Iverson and Moses Malone.
51.
Joel Embiid tied Wilt Chamberlain for the most 30-point and 10-rebound playoff games in 76ers franchise history.
52.
Joel Embiid recorded his sixth 45-point, 10-rebound, 5-assist game, passing Wilt Chamberlain for most in Sixers history.
53.
Joel Embiid surpassed Wilt Chamberlain for the most consecutive 30-point and 10-rebound games with nine in Sixers history.
54.
Joel Embiid recorded his 12th straight game with 30 or more points and 10-plus rebounds.
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Joel Embiid became the first player in NBA history to put up at least 30 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a game without playing in the fourth quarter.
56.
Joel Embiid recorded his 16th straight game with 30 or more points and 10-plus rebounds, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
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Joel Embiid had his 18th straight 30-point game, tying Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor for the sixth-longest streak in NBA history.
58.
Joel Embiid had his 20th straight 30-point game, joining James Harden and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to score at least 30 points in 20-plus consecutive games.
59.
Joel Embiid became the first player in NBA history to score at least 70 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a game.
60.
Joel Embiid finished the playoffs averaging a career-high 33.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, and a career-high 5.7 assists.
61.
On November 2,2024, Joel Embiid shoved a reporter in the locker room following a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies after the columnist had allegedly written an article pertaining Joel Embiid's son and his later brother.
62.
Three days later, Joel Embiid received a three-game suspension for the altercation, which would not begin until he was able to return from injury, as he missed the start of the season due to a knee ailment.
63.
On February 4,2025, Joel Embiid returned after a left knee injury sidelined him the previous 15 games.
64.
Joel Embiid was eligible to compete for the national teams of Cameroon, France and United States.
65.
On 7 February 2017, Joel Embiid was named to the preliminary Cameroon team to compete in the 2017 FIBA AfroBasket in the Republic of Congo, with the group qualifier taking place in March, during the NBA regular season.
66.
Fellow Cameroon-born NBA player Luc Mbah a Moute has voiced his opinion on Embiid representing his country saying, "It would be great for our team, our country and Joel".
67.
Joel Embiid had spoken to French President Emmanuel Macron on the phone, as Macron had courted him to play for the France national team.
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Joel Embiid committed to play for the 2024 US Olympic team in Paris, stating that he wanted to win a gold medal for his son, who was born in the US.
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Joel Embiid has not ruled out playing for Cameroon in the future.
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Joel Embiid has been in a relationship with Brazilian model Anne de Paula since 2018.
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Joel Embiid is known for his playful personality and social media presence, particularly for his trolling.
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Joel Embiid is an avid supporter of Real Madrid CF, frequently posting on Twitter during the team's matches.
73.
In March 2021, Joel Embiid donated $100,000, his 2021 NBA All-Star Game winnings, to fight homelessness in Philadelphia, for which he received the NBA Cares Community Assist Award in April 2021.