Already an NBA MVP and Olympic gold medalist, All-Star center Joel Embiid now has until the end of the decade to try to win his first NBA championship with the Philadelphia 76ers.
By getting another big contract, Embiid wants to chase that title in Philly — and stay a Sixer for the rest of his career.
“Philadelphia is home,” Embiid wrote on Instagram.
Seven-time NBA All-Star Embiid and the 76ers have agreed to a $193 million extension with a player option through the 2028-29 season, a person familiar with the deal said. This person spoke to The Associated Press and asked not to be identified because the terms have not been announced.
Embiid, 30, who graduated from a high school in Florida and played a season in college at Kansas, made his own news Friday morning when he posted a photo on Instagram of himself signing a contract with team owner Josh Harris.
“I want to be here for the rest of my career. I love this community and everything it has given me and my family,” Embiid wrote. “There’s a lot of work to be done. You guys deserve a championship and I think we’re just getting started.”
Embiid, who dropped a franchise-record 70 points last season against San Antonio, signed the 76ers’ common hashtag, “#trusttheprocess.”
Embiid — who is in the second year of a $196 million extension he signed before the 2021 season — became the third point guard this offseason to sign a massive contract with the 76ers. The team has not won an NBA title since 1983.
The 76ers lured Paul George away from the LA Clippers and signed him to a four-year, $212 million contract. Last season’s NBA Most Improved Player, Tyrese Maxey, was awarded a five-year, $204 million extension. The 76ers have committed more than $400 million in salary to two players they believe make them the frontrunners to topple the NBA champion Boston Celtics.
George and Maxey both congratulated Embiid on the extension on Instagram.
Throw in the Embiid deal and the Sixers are relying on the Big Three to fight for the life of their contracts. Embiid, however, has an injury history and has yet to lead the franchise to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Embiid has never played more than 68 games in a season and averaged 34.7 points in 39 games last season.
Originally selected by the 76ers with the No. 3 pick in the 2014 NBA draft, Embiid was named the NBA MVP for the 2022-23 season, and won a gold medal with Team USA at this year’s Paris Olympics.
He has five All-NBA Team honors, seven consecutive All-Star selections from 2017-24, three All-Defensive Team nods, and is a two-time NBA scoring champion.
“Joel has solidified himself as one of the greatest top six players of all time and is on the verge of becoming one of the best players to ever play the game. We are happy that this extension will keep him and his family in Philadelphia for many years to come,” said Harris. “Joel is a great man. of the family, the leader, and the person. He is an elite two-way player with a combination of size, strength, and athleticism that the league rarely – if ever – sees. He is part of this division’s campaign for another NBA championship, and we are honored that he continues to choose this organization as his NBA home. “
In 433 games (all starts) with the franchise, Embiid averaged 27.9 points on 50.4% shooting, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 blocked shots in 31.9 minutes per contest each one. He ranks first in franchise history in scoring (27.9 points per game), fifth in blocked shots (720), tied for sixth in triple-doubles (seven), and seventh in total points (12,071). Embiid also ranks third on the franchise list with eight 50-point games.
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“I had no idea when I was drafted as a 20-year-old kid in Cameroon how lucky I was to be in Philadelphia,” Embiid said in a team statement. “Through all the good times and the bad, this city and the fans have been everything, and I’m very grateful for the way they’ve accepted me.”
A young soccer player, Embiid didn’t pick up basketball until he was a teenager in Africa, when a friend informed him that very few 7-footers make it in soccer.
A few months later, Embiid was lured to a basketball camp in the capital city of Yaounde run by NBA veteran Luc Mbah a Moute, one of only two Cameroonian players to ever play in the NBA. Mbah a Moute persuaded Embiid’s parents to let him move 6,000 miles to Florida, and they helped enroll him at Montverde Academy, one of the best high school programs in the country. He played just 28 games in his one season at Kansas before leaving the NBA.
Embiid missed his first two full seasons with injuries before establishing himself as one of the greatest big men — and richest players — of his generation.
It is reported by the Associated Press.
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