The Philadelphia 76ers have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2025-26 NBA season, and it’s because of the development of their two young star guards.
However, the 76ers still have one of the elite big men in the NBA and he showed why Saturday night against the New York Knicks.
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Philly came away with an important win over the 2025 NBA Cup champions, while Embiid dropped 26 points on New York. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid also did something for the first time this season that he’s been itching to do for months.
Joel Embiid was HYPE after his first dunk of the season 😭🔥 pic.twitter.com/u1ulnsiDTm
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 4, 2026
In the fourth quarter, the 76ers center dunked his first basketball of the NBA season. It’s certainly surprising considering how athletic he’s been throughout his career and obviously his height.
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However, knee injuries have hampered Embiid’s ability to jump and move laterally over the years. That’s why the 76ers legend was elated when he finally dunked Saturday night and celebrated the rare occasion.
Joel Embiid vs the best big men in the league over his career:
• Nikola Jokic: 27.6 PPG | 11 REBs | 2.0 BLKs
• Anthony Davis: 24.9 PPG | 10 REBs | 1.6 BLKs
• KAT: 27.5 | 10.9 REBs | 1.6 BLKs
• Wemby: 39.5 PPG | 10.5 REBs | 0.5 BLKs
Career record of 24-7 vs these bigs 👀 pic.twitter.com/2cjX2TIJaz
— Underdog (@Underdog) January 2, 2026
While Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe have stolen the headlines this season for Philadelphia, Embiid is starting to look like the superstar that basketball fans have watched for years.
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Embiid is averaging over 22 points and six rebounds per game as the 76ers climb to the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.
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