Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid has had himself a wild NBA career. From being the No. 3 pick in the 2014 NBA draft to missing the first two full seasons of his career to foot injuries to now being the face of the franchise as they continue to chase a title.
Embiid has seen it all in his NBA career and in his sixth season, the big fella etched his name into the record books for the Sixers.
On Sunday night in D.C., Embiid finished with 36 points in a relatively easy 117-96 win over the Washington Wizards. In the process, with his 21st point, Embiid joined Allen Iverson as the only players in Sixers history to score 7,000 points within their first 300 games with the team.
“It’s great,” said Embiid. “Obviously, I wish I was more healthy. I probably would have had at least 15,000 points by now. It’s great, but that’s not the focus. The goal is to always get better every single day so we have a chance at winning the championship.”
Obviously, Embiid is more focused on winning a title, but when one remembers his journey, it is incredible to think about how far he has come in so little time. There was a moment where he thought he wasn’t even going to make it to the NBA.
“It’s crazy,” Embiid added. “When I came to the states, my goal really was to use this opportunity so I can get some sort of scholarship and some sort of degree so I can go back home and make something out of it. I never knew, I mean, you start playing basketball at 16, to me, it was like I never really had a chance to make it.”
Luckily for him, he had a strong support system that was working with him in order to make sure he was pushing forward as a basketball player.
“As I got here, I think the thing that helped me the most people believed in me from the beginning,” Embiid finished with a smile. “That made me work extremely hard to try and get better every single day not to make it to the league because at that point, I always thought I wasn’t good enough even when I got to college. I was always thought there was no way I was making it. The fact that people believed in me and I got to college, that’s what I wanted, honestly. I kinda used that opportunity to get a degree and go work somewhere else and make some money for my family. I would have never imagined.”
Joel Embiid joins legendary company with his 7,000th career point. pic.twitter.com/p3QG5Q2TTc
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 27, 2021
The Sixers will now continue to move forward as they hope Embiid will lead the way for them on their championship quest.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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