{"id":664194,"date":"2026-05-11T16:28:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T16:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/664194\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T16:28:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T16:28:10","slug":"the-fragile-legacy-of-joel-embiid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/664194\/","title":{"rendered":"The fragile legacy of Joel Embiid"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHILADELPHIA \u2014 This time last week, Philadelphians were celebrating the heroics of Joel Embiid<\/a> and riding the high of an historic victory over the Boston Celtics. Thanks largely to the 32-year-old center, the 76ers<\/a> made history by coming back from a 3-1 series hole to defeat Boston on its home court in Game 7.<\/p>\n

A week later, Philadelphians are sifting through the ashes of being swept out of the playoffs by the hated New York Knicks. Now critics are back to evaluating where Embiid fits in the hierarchy of NBA stars and in the legion of Philadelphia icons.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Embiid followed a pattern that has haunted him and frustrated Philadelphians for the past 11 seasons: He appears to walk on water one moment and nearly drown the next. He scored 24 points in a losing effort as Philadelphia saw yet another second-round playoff exit.<\/p>\n

In the first round, the Sixers defeated Boston in a playoff series for the first time since 1982, and it was only the second time in history that the franchise won a deciding Game 7. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said Embiid\u2019s return to the lineup from injury was largely the reason for Philadelphia\u2019s comeback.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re a completely different team [with Embiid],\u201d Mazzulla said. \u201cThat\u2019s what changed in the series.\u201d <\/p>\n

The victory over Boston, however, was shellacked by history. After being swept by the Knicks and beaten by 30 points at home on Mother\u2019s Day, Embiid\u2019s enduring and fragile legacy remains unclear.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s Embiid\u2019s legacy going to be in Philly?\u201d said Philadelphia native and jazz bassist Christian McBride, who performed the national anthem before Sunday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s going to be one of those [who] almost was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JoelJoel Embiid (right) and former Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson (left) hug in 2024.<\/p>\n

David Dow\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

McBride, 53, is a native Philadelphian with 11 Emmys to his name. He is one of the greatest in a long line of legendary jazz musicians Philadelphia has produced. He is also an avid sports fan and a student of the city\u2019s sports culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think of all the great centers that played in this city, from Wilt Chamberlain to Moses [Malone] and, you know, even [Dikembe] Mutombo, when we got to the Finals in 2001,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Embiid\u2019s fragility separates him from that group and will eventually force the 76ers to begin a new process to replace him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sixers will soon go through another rebuild, sooner than later, because I don\u2019t think Embiid is going to make it much longer,\u201d McBride said. \u201cHis body is clearly weak. He can\u2019t play a full season anymore. He should probably just save his body and retire, and then the Sixers will have to find another 5 [center].\u201d<\/p>\n

McBride did predict that time would be kind to Embiid.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter time goes on, he will ultimately be beloved \u2014 not like Wilt or Moses, but he will be regarded as one of the great Sixers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related StoryIt\u2019s time to put some respect on Joel Embiid\u2019s signature Skechers JE1 shoe \u2013 AndscapeRead now<\/a><\/p>\n

Injuries will be perhaps the defining part of Embiid\u2019s legacy. You can make the argument he has had one of the most injury-interrupted careers of any modern NBA superstar; his health has shaped his career arc and identity.<\/p>\n

He entered the NBA with a \u201cfragile\u201d label stamped on his forehead.<\/p>\n

A stress fracture in his foot before his rookie season forced him to miss his first two NBA seasons. His knees, especially his left one, have been a persistent issue. After Sunday\u2019s game, he said he considered this season a victory because the knee did not bother him. He had a torn meniscus in 2025 and then had multiple playoff knee sprains.<\/p>\n

In 2018, he had an orbital fracture, and in 2022 he fractured his orbital bone again and sustained a concussion after taking an elbow. During the 2024 playoffs, he played through Bell\u2019s palsy, which affected his vision, to score 50 points<\/a> in Game 3 of a first-round series against the Knicks.<\/p>\n

Embiid is only 32, but the wear and tear his body has absorbed makes him akin to a 45-year-old in NBA years.<\/p>\n

\"JoelJoel Embiid (center) is pictured with his son, Arthur (left), and 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (right) after defeating the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the first round of the NBA playoffs at TD Garden on May 2 in Boston.<\/p>\n

Maddie Meyer\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

I have no doubt that whenever he retires, Embiid will likely be a first-ballot Basketball Hall of Famer. For one, his playing credentials are impressive. Even without ever having led Philadelphia to an NBA championship, he has a Hall of Fame resume: an NBA MVP award, two scoring titles and perennial All-NBA honors. When healthy, Embiid is too big for smaller defenders and too skilled for traditional centers.<\/p>\n

Beyond that, Embiid embodies the NBA\u2019s quest to establish the league as a global presence. His journey from Yaound\u00e9, Cameroon, to the United States and the NBA, coupled with his on-court accomplishments, is Hall of Fame worthy.<\/p>\n

The larger question is: What will his legacy be in Philadelphia? Will he be ranked among the favorite sons and daughters like Chamberlain, Dawn Staley, Allen Iverson, Joe Frazier and Mike Schmidt?<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel bad saying this, but I don\u2019t think he\u2019s going to get that high,\u201d McBride said. \u201cHe\u2019s not going to get to Dawn Staley, Julius Erving, Wilt Chamberlain. But in terms of specifically the Sixers, he\u2019ll probably be in the top 10.\u201d<\/p>\n

When you talk about legacy with Embiid, you have to ask what he sees when he looks in the mirror and what he sees when he looks at his bank account. In 2024, he signed a three-year, $192 million maximum extension. He has career earnings of more than $300 million. When Embiid looks at that, his legacy must seem clear: He\u2019s won.<\/p>\n

When he looks in the mirror and takes a deep dive into his professional career, however, things may become a bit more complicated. He will never be regarded like Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O\u2019Neal or Hakeem Olajuwon. In his own era, Embiid will be rated just behind Denver\u2019s Nikola Jokic, and with the rise of San Antonio\u2019s Victor Wembanyama, Embiid is hurtling toward past tense.<\/p>\n

Yet when I asked Embiid about his legacy after Sunday\u2019s game, he said that his professional basketball accomplishments \u2014 past, present and future \u2014 are a small part of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care,\u201d he said. \u201cI got my family. I got my kids. Hopefully I get more. I got my mom, my dad. I could care less about what people think about me when it comes to basketball. I think I\u2019ve done a lot of stuff off the court. So hopefully that\u2019s the part that\u2019s remembered, whether it\u2019s here in Philadelphia, all over the U.S., in Africa. That\u2019s been my goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cBasketball is just a platform. I\u2019ll be sad if I don\u2019t win, but I don\u2019t think that\u2019s going to define me.\u201d <\/p>\n

In the field of sport and play, results define a legacy. As another 76ers season ended with unfulfilled potential, Embiid\u2019s injury-riddled legacy with Philadelphia seems set. <\/p>\n

He is one of the greatest NBA big men who almost was.<\/p>\n

William C. Rhoden is a columnist for Andscape and the author of Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete. He directs the Rhoden Fellows, a training program for aspiring journalists from HBCUs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHILADELPHIA \u2014 This time last week, Philadelphians were celebrating the heroics of Joel Embiid and riding the high…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":664195,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,85],"class_list":["post-664194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=664194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664194\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/664195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=664194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=664194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=664194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}