The last true Sixers legend to retire was Allen Iverson. The Answer was an 11-time All-Star and became a Hall of Famer.
Though his accomplishments on the court speak for themselves, Iverson’s cultural impact was as significant. He also had his fair share of self-admitted rough moments, both on and off the court.
When he officially retired from the NBA, he held a press conference in Philadelphia. He talked about the pressure of being a superstar and the kind of scrutiny you face.
“Obviously if I could go back and change anything I would be a perfect man,” Iverson said in 2013. “And I know there’s no perfect man and there’s no perfect basketball player. So no, I wouldn’t change anything. My career was up and down at times. I made a lot of mistakes, a lot of things I’m not proud of. But it’s only for other people to learn from.”
Iverson, for all his superhuman attributes, is very much human.
So, too, is Joel Embiid, who will one day be the next true Sixers legend to retire. Before that day comes, he’ll simply have to prove he’s healthy enough to play — not a game or two, but enough for the 7-15 Sixers to begin to resemble the team they thought they’d be.
Whatever The Plan was for Embiid to start the season, it’s gone awry. He missed the first nine games of the season — six because of his balky left knee and three more because of a suspension after shoving Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes. He returned for one game, missed the next because it was a back-to-back, then played just three games before missing six more.
It was great to see him on the floor and looking like Joel Embiid in the Sixers’ win over the Bulls on Sunday, but now all thoughts turn to how his knee will react and if he’ll be ready for a home game Friday night — and the remaining games on the regular-season schedule.
The issue beyond the ugly start to the season and Embiid missing so much time is that nobody seems to know what the hell is going on. There’s been swelling. There’s been soreness. There’s been ramping up. Are Embiid and the team being cautious? Should they be even more cautious and put him on the shelf indefinitely a la what the LA Clippers are doing with Kawhi Leonard? Is Embiid’s knee in worse shape than we’re being led to believe?
Fans want transparency. Embiid wants privacy. We’re at an impasse.
On Sunday, Embiid did offer a poignant update on what he’s dealing with, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps:
“Depressing,” Embiid told ESPN when asked what the past couple of months have been like for him. “Just trying to figure it out. There’s no injury. Just between the swelling ... we’ve got to get it figured out. That’s it.
“I’ve been saying it for the last few months. It’s been extremely depressing. It’s something that hasn’t been figured out, and it’s been extremely annoying, because I would love to play every single game.”
Just that ounce of transparency lets you into Embiid’s world a little. He’s not 100% sure what’s going on with his knee. Admittedly, that’s a bit scary, but at least nobody will feel strung along like many felt at the start of the season.
You can criticize Embiid for not always prioritizing his health. You can question whether he should’ve been playing at all before the Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga landed on his knee in a game against Golden State. You can wonder if coming back too soon or playing in the Olympics has impacted his ability to play now. You can be frustrated by the lack of information. If you’re not prepared to give the player and team the benefit of the doubt, that’s understandable.
All of that is fair game — as long as you remember he’s a human being.
Not much has been easy for Embiid in his journey from being a skinny 15-year-old in Cameroon who never played the sport of basketball to one of the biggest — and most polarizing — players in the NBA. The tragic death of his younger brother Arthur had an obvious and profound effect on him. He was just 20 years old at the time, still recovering from navicular bone surgery and living in a foreign place.
He was forced to sit out two seasons. The jokes came from everywhere about how Embiid had more tweets than games played. Sure, it was good for a laugh, but Embiid was just a kid. Who knows what he was going through and feeling at that time. All of the injuries and issues since have surely affected him.
Recently “personal reasons” was added to Embiid’s injury status and he was not with the team for a few days. There’s zero reason to speculate on the “personal reasons” — as the word “personal” would suggest — but clearly there are things bigger than basketball going on here.
We don’t know exactly what’s happening with Embiid right now, much like back when he was dealing with injury and tragedy as a 20-year-old.
Much has changed. He’s won an MVP. He’s married and has a 4-year-old son, Arthur, named after his late brother. He signed a contract extension which will likely allow him to retire as a Sixer — unlike Iverson, who was unceremoniously traded to the Denver Nuggets back in 2006.
And we all know Iverson often took a beating from the media. In the age of social media, the toxicity of NBA Twitter, and talking heads on TV that seem to actively not like the players or sport they discuss, it’s scary to think about what it could’ve been like for a player like Iverson.
“In this profession,” Iverson said, “you have no idea how hard it is to live up to all the expectations, try to be a perfect man when you know you’re not. Being in a fishbowl, everybody looking at every move you make, talking about everything you do.”
It’s disappointing that Embiid hasn’t gotten the Sixers to the Eastern Conference Finals since Iverson carried them there in 2001. It’s frustrating that he’s only played five games this season and that we have no idea if he’ll make it through all of 2024-25.
But he’s a human, going through human things. A little grace here or there might be in order.