It would be safe to say Joel Embiid is one of the best players in the league right now – and a heavy candidate to win the MVP award. However, he had to go through a rough patch before he became the NBA superstar he is nowadays.
It took a long time for the 27-year-old to prove his talent with the Philadelphia 76ers as a foot injury ruled him out for two years after being drafted in 2014. Fortunately, he overcame all the obstacles and made a name for himself.
But things could have gone differently if Embiid didn’t push himself to turn things around and come back stronger. The Sixers star has gone through a lot early in his career, besides the injuries he lost his brother Arthur in 2014. And all of that made him think about retirement.
Joel Embiid says he wanted to retire early in his NBA career
“Going back to Cameroon, I really wanted to stop playing basketball and retire, because at that point, you just have surgery and everybody’s talking about you’re not gonna make it or you never gonna play in the league, and obviously, the loss of my brother was a was big. I wanted to give up and I almost did,” Embiid said, per KYW Newsradio.
“Basically you miss two years in a row and all these stories coming out every single day — Joel is, whatever, 300 pounds — and the media always talking down on you. It was tough. I had to go through a lot. It was very tough, but, I’m glad I just kept pushing through with the help of everybody around me. I’m just glad. I’m happy to be here.“
Embiid’s story is one of the most inspiring in the league. Not only he has overcome multiple injuries but also a familiar tragedy to continue playing in one of the most demanding competitions on Earth and become a superstar. Now, he is on pace to win the MVP award while he hopes to lead the Sixers to a deep run in the playoffs.