One phrase has become synonymous to the wild years of the Philadelphia 76ers’ disappointing years of losing. That phrase is “Trust the Process.” The main man through the entirety of their “tanking” effort is Joel Embiid. His name has become a parallel to the process, and his life has become the centerpiece to the adversity the 76ers have faced. Joel has become the city of Philadelphia’s hope for new strides for their professional sports teams. Joel has been on this journey since his days in Africa, and because of his background, his talent, and his character, he has been able help people all throughout the world at an incredibly young age.
Childhood
Joel has been the body and blood of the Philadelphia 76ers, even though he has spent a slim time in Philly. Born in Yaounde, Cameroon, Joel was brought up well in a poverty-stricken country. His parents always gave him a roof to lie under, clothes on his back, and food on his plate. He excelled in the classroom and was an athletic star on his soccer club and volleyball team. Embiid had aspirations to be a European volleyball player, yet those goals quickly changed when he discovered the game of basketball. One of his teachers, knowing his interest in the sport, sent him home with a video of Nigerian NBA player Hakeem Olajuwon and registered him for a camp mentored by NBA player and fellow Cameroonian, Luc Mbah a Moute. At this camp, Embiid showed major promise because of his premier athleticism. Because of his performance at the camp Joel was chosen to participate in the NBA’s African talent camp, Basketball Without Borders, which Embiid would eventually be a mentor for as an NBA player. ² This background of athletics, especially in multiple sports, allowed him to excel later in life.
Adversity
In addition, Joel has been through many struggles in his short life. He lived well because of his parent’s hard work, but he has said it was difficult living around major poverty. He also struggled linguistically, but he was able to overcome these difficulties and eventually spoke French, English and Basaa, one of the main languages in Cameroon, all fluently. Although, one obstacle Joel would never be able to overcome was the death of his younger brother, Arthur, who was only 13 at the time. He died in a car crash on October 16th, 2014. Joel hadn’t been able to see his brother in four years because of his ongoing basketball career, and he struggled with this event for a long time. In a recent interview a reporter asked if he ever questioned his future in basketball, and Joel mentioned, “After my first year, when I found out that I needed a second surgery, and that was at the time that my brother had just died too. So to me, in my head I was like ‘what am I even doing here? I have one year of salary under my belt. And that’s enough to go back to Cameroon.” ¹ Because of tragedy and self-questioning, Joel’s strength was tested, but his struggles have developed his character, and in combination with his talent, have propelled him to many achievements in basketball.
Basketball Life
Joel came over to the United States when he was a teenager, and he attended high school at Montverde Academy and The Rock School, both in Florida. He went to Kansas University as a five star recruit, college basketball’s highest praise for a high school player. Embiid attended the University of Kansas for only one year. He was named one of the 30 finalists for the Naismith College Player of the Year, college basketball’s biggest award. Embiid was selected with the third pick overall by the 76ers in the 2014 NBA Draft. “Trust the Process” was the nickname given to the 76ers’ years of “tanking,” or losing, which spanned around half a decade. The “keystone” in the Keystone State’s only NBA team is Joel Embiid. Twisting the nickname for the Sixers losing, Joel “The Process” Embiid has been with the Sixers the longest, and was the sense of hope during these 76ers’ dreadful losing seasons. Many fans of him and the Sixers say that he has revived the city of Philadelphia’s pride in their teams. This pride has surfaced because of his exceptional talent on the basketball court. 2016 was Joel Embiid’s first full year playing in the NBA because of significant injuries to his back in the previous two years. He was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for October, November and December. The 2017 season was much of the same. On November 15th, Embiid scored a career-high 46 points, the most by a Philadelphia player in 11 years, and grabbed 15 rebounds in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Embiid also had 7 assists and 7 blocked shots, making him the first NBA player with 40 points, 7 assists and 7 blocks in a game since Julius Erving did it for the 76ers in 1982.³ His exceptional play has re energized the Sixers organization, as well as the city of Philadelphia.
Rags to Riches
Everyone can learn from the story of Joel Embiid. He grew up in a country entirely in poverty. In the span of around seven years, Joel picked up a basketball and proceeded to become one of NBA’s most talented young players. From 2017 to 2022, Joel will have received 148 million dollars from the Philadelphia 76ers. He has brought smiles to the faces of many people in Philadelphia and his home country Cameroon, through his efforts on NBA courts around the United States. But more importantly, he has donated much of his time and money toward helping people in these areas. Truly, Joel has a rags to riches story, with more riches than most would normally think. Joel trained and worked hard to get to the point that he is at, and through all the struggles, Joel always knew to “Trust the Process.”
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