Tag: Joel Embiid

Mo Bamba opens up on challenging Sixers season, Joel Embiid, free agency values

Mo Bamba opens up on his challenging season for the Philadelphia 76ers, Joel Embiid, and his free agency values.

CAMDEN, N.J. — It was a challenging 2023-24 season for Philadelphia 76ers big man Mo Bamba. Signed to a one-year deal in the 2023 offseason, Bamba played 57 games, with 17 starts, and averaged 4.4 points and 4.2 rebounds along with 1.1 blocks per game.

Initially he was the third-string center behind Joel Embiid and Paul Reed, but the Sixers turned to Bamba to start in the majority of the games Embiid missed due to his meniscus injury. As a starter, Bamba averaged 6.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 19.3 minutes per game.

When asked to describe his season, Bamba used the term roller coaster.

“Not necessarily the minutes,” Bamba explained of his roller coaster claim. “It was just a wave of differing emotions in different parts of the season. For a lot of the season early on, it was just a matter of, like, just waiting for an opportunity, and when the opportunity comes, I was like ‘Alright.’ Just had to change the mindset of just, like, you go from wanting something to happen to ‘Alright, now that it’s happened, how do I capitalize on the opportunity? And win this specific basketball game.’”

Bamba had to battle through not playing as much as he would have liked as well as a right knee injury that hampered him a bit throughout the season.

A big reason Bamba joined the Sixers was due to his relationship with Embiid. The two are close friends and after the first-round elimination, the two had a phone call. Bamba expressed how proud he was of him.

“He called me,” Bamba recalled. “It was late because the game was over at 12, but he called me last night, and we just talked about things and how things went, but I told him ‘I’m real life proud of you, dog’. He’s been through a lot this year and he fought through a lot this year. The guy was out there on a leg and half. His face—he couldn’t blink, you know? But I told him I was proud of him. I told him that he has to do some certain things and I’m looking forward to the future.”

Embiid played through a great deal of adversity in the 2023-24 season, including the playoffs. Bamba, who has known Embiid for a long time, wanted to let him know how much he appreciated him.

“I’ve known Jo before I even came into the league and there’s been a bunch of stuff kinda surrounding Jo and things that he’s gotten over and things that he’s gotten better at and, like, not being on the team, it’s easy to kinda hear those types of things and be like ‘Alright, this must be true’ or whatever,” Bamba added. “Being here and seeing how he works and seeing how he attacked every day even though he was nowhere near 100%, that’s what made most proud of him.”

As Bamba prepares for free agency, the veteran out of Texas laid out some important values for himself and what he’s looking for.

“Just fit,” he explained. “Making sure I’m going somewhere anywhere — or even if it’s here — that it just makes sense. Obviously, it’s the NBA. There’s not a lot of — it’s not gonna be a perfect fit everywhere you go. That’s for any player, but just getting on page with the coaching staff, getting on page with the training staff and everything.”

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Sixers president Daryl Morey discusses Joel Embiid’s health concerns

Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey addresses any health concerns surrounding Joel Embiid.

CAMDEN, N.J. — Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is one of the best players in the game. For a guy his size to do what he does on the basketball court is impressive.

Embiid can shoot from deep or the midrange, score on the low block, get to the foul line or take a guy off the dribble. He’s able to do it all as a 7-footer. Throw in the fact he’s an elite defender, and there is no questioning his ability.

The question is whether he can be healthy when it matters most. The superstar big man has had to deal with so many injuries in his career, and they have hindered the Sixers’ playoff runs.

“Every year, we sit down — when I say we, it’s myself, the head coach, the medical staff — and work with Joel like ‘Hey, let’s put a plan together,’” President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey said. “Luckily, we don’t need to do much because Joel cares about this as you might expect. It’s his life — more than anybody. We have not done that yet, but for sure, we’re gonna sit down and have a plan with Joel and figure out what’s best.”

Embiid went through a great deal to play in the playoffs against the New York Knicks. Despite playing on just one good leg and while suffering from Bell’s Palsy, he averaged 33 points and 10.8 rebounds in the series. He is committed to the Sixers and trying to get his body right. Therefore, he already has plans to make sure he is ready to go when it matters most.

“He’s already sent me a few thoughts on things, but it’s premature,” Morey added. “We haven’t had the sort of official sit down and like let’s put that plan together, but I know Joel is trying to think through everything. Like, how can he make sure he’s at his maximal abilities once the playoffs roll around.”

One would assume that Morey and Co. have concerns about Embiid playing for Team USA in the Olympics considering the injury history. That is not the case. The Sixers want to support his dream of playing in the Olympics and representing America.

“I was lucky enough to be at his celebration when he became a U.S. citizen,” Morey said of Embiid. “He’s incredibly proud to be a U.S. citizen. It’s a dream of his to represent the United States in the Olympics. I think it’s important to support the dreams of your best player.”

Morey understands the concerns, but the Olympics are a big deal and honor to any athlete.

“I understand the questions. I understand that there are folks that could have an opinion on the other side on that, but first off, it’s not even in our hands,” he finished. “Second off, we would always support Joel in something that important to him and I think that’s cool that he thinks that’s one of the dreams he’s had since he became a citizen.”

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Joel Embiid hoping for continuity as Sixers enter important offseason

Joel Embiid would like to see some continuity for the Philadelphia 76ers in the offseason.

PHILADELPHIA — Throughout Joel Embiid’s time with the Philadelphia 76ers, he has endured a great deal of change as the Sixers continually search for the pieces they need to give themselves a chance to contend for a title.

The Sixers underwent significant change in the 2023-24 season. Philadelphia had to move James Harden in October following his offseason trade request. Then they made a flurry of moves at the deadline.

On the flip side, Embiid and Tyrese Maxey grew as a pair, and the big fella hopes they can keep that continuity.

“Like I said, all of them lasted one year,” Embiid said after the first-round loss to the New York Knicks. “That’s the problem. Who won last year? Denver. Jamal (Murray), Nikola (Jokic), they’ve been together for eight years or something like that. Seven? You look at some of the teams that have won — Golden State Warriors — they’ve been together for a long time. I don’t remember you just put a team together and hoped that it worked out for one year.”

The big fella is a student of the game. He sees the teams that have won in the past. The Denver Nuggets kept their core together despite some shortcomings, and they won a championship. He wants the same in Philadelphia.

“That’s on those (front office) guys,” Embiid added. “That’s what they get paid for. Our job is to get better as basketball players. Every single year, I find a way to get better. Tyrese has gotten so much better, and I think there’s even another step that he can take. Some of the guys in the locker room, they’ve gotten better. Every single year, I’ve gotten better, so I’m excited to keep working on my game and myself, keep getting better, but when it comes to guys around, I like our group of guys.”

The Sixers have a slew of free agents and a great deal of cap space they have to make decisions about. Obviously, Embiid has nothing to do with those decisions as those questions will be answered by the front office, but the Knicks have some chemistry with their core and it’s something he pointed out after the loss.

“I think we have an amazing group of guys,” Embiid added. “Obviously it didn’t work out this year, but we also played a great team. The New York Knicks, they did a great job, and they’ve played together for a long time. So I like our guys. Obviously, they’ve got a lot of decisions to be made, but I think the group of guys we had this year, they were amazing. I still believe that, if everything went right, we had a chance, but everything didn’t go right.”

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PHOTOS: Joel Embiid shoes this season

Joel Embiid had an eventful year on and off the court. He was on his way to another historic season, but injuries derailed that and he only managed to play in 39 regular season games. Furthermore, he left Under Armour to sign with Skechers, a move that shocked many in the sneaker industry.

Take a look at some of the Under Armour and Skechers shoes he sported this past season.

Kyle Lowry assesses time with Sixers, praises Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey

Veteran Kyle Lowry assesses his time with the Philadelphia 76ers while also praising Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

PHILADELPHIA — Eighteen-year veteran Kyle Lowry made his way back to Philadelphia to play for his hometown 76ers in the 2023-24 season. He began the year with the Miami Heat before being traded to the Charlotte Hornets. After the deal, he was waived, clearing the way for him to sign with the Sixers.

In 23 games with the Sixers, including 20 starts, he averaged 8 points and 4.6 assists while shooting 40.4% from deep. He also did a number of things not shown in the box score.

After the first-round playoff elimination to the New York Knicks, Lowry assessed his short time with the Sixers. He singled out a few players he saw grow during the second half of the season.

“We got better,” Lowry said. “I think the guys in this locker room, they competed at a high level. The things Joel (Embiid) showed us in this series playing on one leg. Tyrese’s (Maxey) growth. Kelly’s (Oubre Jr.) toughness, I think the team just showed the competitive nature. It was fun. After 18 years, you’d think it gets easier, but it just sucks even more when you lose. Especially, with a great group of guys like this. It was fun to be a part of.”

The growth of both Embiid and Maxey is why Lowry wanted to come to Philadelphia. It was prideful for him to see the young stars continue to grow. Even though the Sixers came up short to the Knicks, both Embiid and Maxey showed a lot of growth on their respective paths to stardom.

“It was part of the reason I came here to be able to be a part of the growth of Tyrese and the growth of Joel and watching them and try to help them as much as I can with the maturation process,” Lowry added. “The things that these guys have done. Joel playing on one leg. Tyrese — in the minute of the game going crazy a couple minutes and going through ups and downs and finding ways to be successful. As a guy who’s been in the league a long time, I was so happy I got the opportunity to play with these guys and be around them.”

As far as Lowry’s future, there is a thought he would be perfect fit alongside Embiid and Maxey. However, he is a free agent and one wonders where he will go in the process.

“We just lost so I’m not even thinking about anything, but figuring out how to get some sleep tonight because I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep with the way we lost the game,” Lowry added. “I had a great opportunity to be a part of two superstars in this league and for me, it was a joy to be around them. We’ll see what happens in the next couple months.”

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Joel Embiid upset with Round 1 loss to Knicks, excited for Sixers’ future

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is upset with the loss to the New York Knicks, but he is excited about the future.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers had their season end in tough fashion after a Game 6 loss to the New York Knicks on Thursday. The loss ended an exciting series where the final point differential was only plus-one in favor of New York. Every game came down to the wire.

With that being said, the Sixers did come up short. This is the seventh consecutive season that Philadelphia failed to advance past Round 2 in the Joel Embiid era and now it’s back to the drawing board.

Yes, the Sixers were the No. 7 seed. Yes, Embiid was on one leg and half his face was hurt due to the Bell’s Palsy, but Philadelphia had its chances. It just couldn’t come away with the wins.

“I mean, it sucks to lose,” said Embiid. “The goal is to win a championship. Anytime that doesn’t happen, that’s all I care about. I don’t care if I got to the second round. That does not mean anything to me. We just didn’t accomplish what we wanted to. The thing is we believe in ourselves so much that we believe we actually could’ve won it, but everything didn’t go the way we wanted it to. We had a lot of different circumstances.”

Of course, it didn’t help that Embiid was once again dealing with physical ailments that limited him in the playoffs.

“It’s also exciting to look at the future, to look at what’s in front of you, but it’s also easier said than done,” the big fella continued. “We’ve got to be better as basketball players. I’ve got to be better. Starting with myself, the whole series I could’ve been better. Maybe if I was better, we would’ve won it, so that’s on me. That’s why we lost. Just got to find a way to get better as a basketball player, as a person, as a leader and come back and hope that everything else aligns.”

With that being said, the future seems as bright as ever. Tyrese Maxey has morphed into a legitimate star in this league and is somebody who can continue to grow beside Embiid. Philadelphia is armed with a ton of cap space and will likely bring in another star next to those two to compete in the East.

“When you look at it, it kind of looks exciting,” the reigning league MVP continued. “I don’t know what they’re going to do, but they do have a lot of cap space and picks so they have the opportunity to build something good, but then again, who’s going to be available, whether it’s in free agency or trades? You can have all that stuff, but you’ve also got to be lucky that something comes up.”

Embiid isn’t wrong. Just because the Sixers have a ton of cap space doesn’t mean that they are going to get the pieces they want. It will come down to making smart decisions and he knows and understands that.

“That’s a great position to be in,” he added. “You’ve got a young superstar coming in (Maxey), face of the franchise for his whole career in Philly. That’s exciting. Trying to build something great here. Like I said, I love our guys. I love the guys that we have, but we’ve just got to make sure we work on ourselves and come back better as basketball players.”

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Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey discuss next steps after Sixers elimination

Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey discuss the next steps after the Philadelphia 76ers were eliminated by the New York Knicks.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers are once again dealing with an early elimination following a 118-115 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 6 on Thursday. The Sixers were unable to come up with the big plays down the stretch, and the Knicks finished the series.

This was a lost season for the Sixers. They endured a great deal of adversity, headlined by Joel Embiid missing 43 games, largely due to a left knee meniscus injury. The injury derailed what had been a brilliant start to the season.

In Embiid’s absence, Tyrese Maxey grew into a legitimate star in the league. The ball was in Maxey’s hands constantly, and the 23-year-old became an All-Star.

So, the question becomes what’s next?

“If I remember correctly, in training camp, early this year, that’s the first thing I mentioned,” Embiid recalled. “Every single year it’s always been one person comes in and the following year they’re gone. The same thing just kept happening — kept happening the last few years. This is really the first time where you got him, and obviously, he’s taken a step, and he was amazing this year. One of the 10 best players in the world this year, and now you finally get the chance to build around it.”

Build. That is going to be the keyword throughout the offseason. The Sixers have Embiid and Maxey as the fulcrum for what this team wants to do. The two were nearly unstoppable as a tandem when the big fella was healthy.

“You got this guy, as young as he is, and you have people like myself and some of the other guys we have in the locker room, and you have a lot of cap space to make it happen,” Embiid added. “So I think one of the big things when it comes to winning is, I mean you look at all the teams that have won, you can’t just put people together for one year and hope that it is going to work out.”

Embiid has been hoping for continuity — somebody he can turn to and build with — for a while. He has it in Maxey.

“Obviously, we have some experience together, and so I think that’s the way to go,” Embiid added. “You just have to keep going, keep building around it, and find the right mix of people to make it happen, but yeah, I’m excited.”

Being able to develop alongside a guy such as Embiid has been key for Maxey, who is four years into his career.

“It’s been amazing,” Maxey said. “I’ve seen him do some extraordinary things honestly and for me, it’s just motivation because I see him keep working every single summer. I see him come back and he finds a way to get better at something. It’s funny, I used to mess with him last year about how he couldn’t shoot right-handed in pull-ups and he said I’m going to be able to do it and I just mess with him in the locker room. I’ve never seen in my four years actually back someone down and do jump hooks, he was doing that tonight (Game 6).”

Embiid has continued to challenge Maxey to get better every day. Every step of the way, the big fella has been in his ear.

“Just as a partnership, as a friend, as a brother, I appreciate him because he was one of the first believers in me from day one,” Maxey added. “I talk about the Denver game, the COVID game, I just remember him walking out because he wasn’t playing and I was. He said ‘Can you get 40? Because I think you can. Go out there and score 40.’ Myself at the time, I’m like ‘I’ve played eight games in the NBA, I don’t think I’ll make 40’, but for him to believe in me to do something like that, it was special and I appreciate him.”

Now, the goal has to be to build off this. The Sixers have a chance to build around the duo, and Philadelphia has to take advantage of it.

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Complete injury report for Joel Embiid, Sixers vs. Knicks in Game 6

Here is the complete injury report for Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers as they get set to face the New York Knicks in Game 6.

Facing elimination once again, the Philadelphia 76ers are back at home on Thursday to play host to the New York Knicks. The Sixers were able to come up with an impressive win in Game 5 to stave off elimination and will have to do so again in Game 6.

The injury report for the Sixers remains the same. Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) is out again. Coach Nick Nurse mentioned toward the end of the regular season that Covington will not return.

Joel Embiid (left knee injury recovery) also remains questionable for this contest. He has been questionable for every game in this series, but he has also played in every game. One has to assume he will also play in this one with so much riding on it.

The Sixers look to tie the series at 3 and force a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden after trailing the series 3-1. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. EDT from the Wells Fargo Center.

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Joel Embiid gives shoutout to Tobias Harris for his contributions to Sixers

Joel Embiid gives a shoutout to Tobias Harris for his contributions to help the Philadelphia 76ers after the Game 5 win.

NEW YORK — It had been a tough series for Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris against the New York Knicks. The versatile forward was averaging 8.8 points and shooting just 29.5% from deep. That isn’t the production the Sixers need from him in this series.

In Game 5 with the season on the line, Harris produced in a big way. He had 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting and knocked down three 3s. He was active on the defensive end and gave the Sixers a big spark on both ends.

After the Game 5 win, Joel Embiid wanted to make sure Harris got his flowers despite the tough offensive showing.

“He also deserves a lot of credit,” he said of Harris. “Obviously, making shots is a whole different story. It happens. Sometimes you make shots, sometimes you don’t, but I think he’s been great on the defensive end. He’s been hustling. He’s been rebounding the ball.”

To Embiid’s point, Harris has found other ways to contribute in this series. He has been terrific on the defensive end and he has been grabbing rebounds at a high rate. His contributions in other ways helps him be a positive player despite the offensive struggles.

“I think he’s been doing other things and that’s the way I look at it,” Embiid finished. “When you don’t got it going offensively, what else can you do to help the team? That’s usually the other side of it — on the floor. I think he’s been trying. I think he’s been giving himself up to us and we just appreciate him.”

The Sixers need Harris to continue to give a strong effort as they look to stave off elimination again in Game 6 back at home on Thursday.

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Sixers’ Joel Embiid responds to chants from Knicks fans after Game 5

Joel Embiid addresses the hostile chants he ahs received from the New York Knicks fans after a Game 5 win.

NEW YORK — Philadelphia 76ers superstar big man Joel Embiid is currently public enemy No. 1 in New York City. The fans of the New York Knicks have turned their ire toward him after a flagrant-1 foul on Mitchell Robinson in Philadelphia’s Game 3 win.

On Tuesday as the series shifted back to New York, Embiid drew a lot of hatred from the Madison Square Garden crowd. A lot of “(Expletive) Embiid” chants and a lot of hostility was thrown his way.

After a wild 112-106 overtime win to keep their season alive, Embiid addressed the chants he has received.

“It’s not hostile, I love New York,” said Embiid. “New York is one of my favorite cities in the world. I have a place here for the past five years. I just love New York. The fans, when you play against a team, you know they are always going to pick that guy and they seemed to have picked it’s fine. I love it. If I got to be the punching bag and you hear a lot of ‘F Embiid’ that’s OK, I love it.”

With that being said, one has to figure Embiid feeds off that to try and perform to the best of his ability. Anything for motivation at this stage of the game.

“It usually gets me going in those situations because you want to push yourself in those situations and kind of shut them up,” Embiid added. “I think as long as you keep it basketball–they be doing a great job just supporting the team. They are being amazing. That’s why they are the Knicks, they get hype about everything and they’ve been doing a fantastic job.”

The Sixers will now look to force a Game 7 back in New York when they host the Knicks in Game 6 on Thursday.

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