Photo Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Joel Embiid Wants To Be A Sixer For His Entire Career

Loyalty is a dying art in the world of sports. Players like Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Dirk Nowitzki are the last breed of NBA stars to never “jump ship” and leave when their team is not performing up to par. The ability to remain apart of a losing team is something only the best can do; not particularly skill wise, but mentally. Players often move around the league for two reasons; to contend for a championship or for the green paper that the world revolves around. But sometimes, just like we witnessed with Isaiah Thomas this summer, it isn’t for the players to decide.

Joel Embiid nontheless has Nowitzki, Bryant and Duncan as his idols and, just like them, wants to stay with his team throughout his entire career.

Embiid on spending entire career with one franchise: "I want to be Kobe Bryant. I want to be Tim Duncan. I want to be Dirk Nowitzki.”

— Molly Sullivan (@MollyESullivan) October 28, 2017

The contract extension of the Philadelphia big man was one of the hottest topics before the start of the 2017/18 NBA season. When healthy, he’s proven to be worth the contract, but with Embiid, injuries are a red flag.

Through his first three NBA seasons, Embiid was only able to play 31 games, that’s 51 games less than former number one draft pick Greg Oden has played in his first three years. You all know how his career sadly ended before it began.

But as an insurance for the Sixers, there are many protections in the contract. If Embiid misses 25 or more games in the final four years of the contract, the Sixers have the option to waive him.

This season, Embiid has been able to stay healthy so far, averaging an impressive 20.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks while shooting 52,1% from the field.