Joel Embiid has long stated his desire to remain in Philadelphia for the entirety of his NBA career. On Friday morning, he took a major step towards making good on that desire. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Embiid is signing a three-year, $193 million max contract extension with the Philadelphia 76ers. The deal also has a player option for the 2028-29 season.
JUST IN: Joel Embiid says he is signing a contract extension with the Philadelphia 76ers. The one-time NBA MVP will sign a three-year, $193 million maximum extension with the 76ers, with a player option in 2028-2029, sources tell @TheAthletic. pic.twitter.com/BzA0mUO8yc
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 20, 2024
Embiid’s contract extension sets him up to be in a Sixers uniform through at least the 2027-28 season. When tacked together with his current contract, Embiid is in line to make $301 million over the next five seasons.
“I started a Sixer and want to be right here for the rest of my career. I had no idea when I was drafted as a 20-year-old kid from Cameroon how lucky I was to be in Philadelphia,” Embiid said. ”Through all the ups and downs, this city and the fans have been everything, and I am so grateful for how they’ve embraced me. I want to thank Josh [Harris], David [Blitzer], and the entire organization. Philadelphia is home and it’s time to bring this community an NBA championship.”
Giving Embiid a max extension was a no-brainer move for the Sixers. Embiid has become one of the most dominant players in the league. He has averaged 30-plus points per game in each of the past three years. Embiid became the first center in two decades to win the scoring championship back in 2021-22. He won the MVP award for averaging 33.1 points and 10.2 rebounds in the 2022-23 season. The 30-year old followed his MVP season up by averaging 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.2 steals per game last season.
Embiid took a long, winding path to reach this point in his career. The Cameroonian native did not pick up the game of basketball until he was in his mid-teens. After flashing loads of potential in his lone collegiate season at Kansas, the Sixers selected him the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. However, multiple foot injuries led to him not taking the floor in a Sixers uniform until the 2016-17 season. It quickly became clear he was a special player. Over the ensuing eight seasons, Embiid became one of the best players in basketball. When all is said and done, Embiid will go down as one of the greatest players of this generation.
However, there is one thing Embiid has not achieved in his storied career. For as good of a player as Embiid is, postseason success has eluded him in Philadelphia. Embiid has led the Sixers to the playoffs in each of the past seven seasons. For one reason or another, the Sixers have fallen short of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals during that run of postseason appearances. Whether due to some untimely injuries, a poor supporting cast or a dip in his postseason production, Embiid has failed to lead the Sixers past the second round of the playoffs. Until he does so, his legacy will be tainted in the eyes of many.
Embiid, locked up in Philadelphia for the foreseeable future, is running out of chances to prove his critics wrong. He enters the 2024-25 campaign with the best supporting cast of his career. Tyrese Maxey is a rising star and among the best guards in basketball. Paul George, an eight-time All-Star, signed a four-year, $212 million contract with the Sixers this offseason. Behind the big three, the Sixers have a deep cast of role players headlined by Caleb Martin, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond. The Sixers are well-positioned to be championship contenders throughout the next handful of seasons.
The ensuing couple of years will go a long way towards how Embiid’s career is viewed. If he fails to overcome his playoff failures, he will be known as one of the best players to never win a championship. However, his career will be viewed in a completely different light if he brings a championship back to Philadelphia. The stakes are high, but Embiid has a chance to cement his legacy as one of the greatest players in Philadelphia sports history.
