Joel Embiid's Philadelphia 76ers were swept by the New York Knicks, ending their playoff run. Despite battling multiple injuries throughout the season, Embiid reflected on his legacy after the loss.
Key points
Joel Embiid was swept out of the playoffs for the second time.
The 76ers lost 144-114 to the Knicks, ending their season.
Embiid faced multiple injuries, including knee and oblique issues.
He returned quickly from an appendectomy during the season.
Embiid reflected on his legacy after the playoff loss.
With the season now over, it's time to look at the season for Embiid. The big fella was limited to only 38 games, but he worked his behind off to make sure he was out there for the Sixers. He worked extremely hard to make sure his surgically repaired left knee was all good to go. He battled through a right oblique injury. He suffered through an appendectomy and returned quicker than many thought. He then suffered through hip and ankle injuries in the playoffs to be available for the Sixers.
The question of whether the Sixers can realistically win a title with Embiid can be discussed later. For right now, one has to give respect to him for everything he had to fight through. After the loss to the Knicks, Embiid went into great detail of his injuries and his legacy. Here are those long and lengthy quotes in their entirety:
Embiid on how he views the season
"I know we lost, and I know itâs not the right mentality to have, but for me, this was a success. I came into this year not knowing where I was gonna be. Not knowing if I was gonna play, if I was even gonna play, based on how the knee was the last few years, and I came in just hoping for the best, and I feel like we're in a position where we figured out the knee. It hasn't been an issue, and if it wasn't for the oblique or some of the other stuff that I had, it could have been different as far as how many games I would have played, but we came into the season thinking that there was not much left based on the last few years, and now I'm sitting here not even worried about my knee. Even after all the stuff that's happening, people falling on me. Obviously, youâre gonna have setbacks as you go along, but those setbacks have been so much different than that has been in the past.
Q&A
What injuries did Joel Embiid face during the season?
Joel Embiid dealt with a surgically repaired left knee, a right oblique injury, an appendectomy, and hip and ankle injuries during the playoffs.
How did the Philadelphia 76ers perform against the New York Knicks?
The Philadelphia 76ers were swept by the New York Knicks, losing the series 4-0.
What does Joel Embiid think about his legacy after the playoff loss?
After the loss, Joel Embiid discussed his injuries and reflected on how they impact his legacy in the NBA.
Can the 76ers win a title with Joel Embiid on the team?
The question of whether the 76ers can realistically win a title with Embiid remains open for discussion following their playoff exit.
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So, I hate losing, but I thought I was done. That's the best way to put it, and then I found something, and we found something as a group to figure out what it takes and what we have to do to make sure quite frankly, weâre in a better position next year to play in a lot of games."
Embiid describes his injuries after the appendectomy
"Itâs been tough. I said it. I had complications after the surgery. Even the things that I've been dealing with, they've all been related to, you know, the surgery, because coming back early and the core is kind of weak, it's not an excuse, but everything else is affected. Everything else is out of place. So, when you're looking at the hip, the adductor, everything is out of place. So, it kind of put me in a position where you don't have time to get ready to play, and the little time that you have, you got to go jump straight to playoff basketball. That's tough, but I feel like I still played as hard as I could. I fought hard. I tried to give us a better chance to win. It didn't happen. So, I look at myself and I got to be better. Maybe I got to go to church more. So I don't have those type of things right before the playoffs. I don't know. Maybe I'm cursed. I don't know. Maybe Philadelphia's cursed. That's a joke, but, yeah, just gotta keep doing the right things over and over and hope that, at some point, it changes."
Embiid on his thoughts of what his legacy is at this stage
"Thatâs all I care about. I got my family. I got my kids. Hopefully, I get more. I got my mom, my dad, our parents. I could care less about what people think about me when it comes to basketball. I think I've done a lot of stuff off the court. So, hopefully that's part that's remember, whether it's here in Philadelphia, all over the US, and Africa, and that's been my goal. My focus is just keep improving in these things, and keep helping people.
So, I mean to answer your question, that's really what I want my legacy to be. Basketball is just a platform. Whether I win or lose, I'll be sad if I don't win, but I don't think that's gonna define me, and I wouldn't want anybody to think that basketball is all they have, because there's so much more in life than just basketball. I'm talking asâyou can ask all these guys I care about winning more than anybody. There's a lot of people that care about winning, but we can all be equally on the same page when it comes to that. It sucks to lose. I havenât won anything, so that hurts, but to go home and raise this guy (his son, Arthur who was in his lap during his media availability), raise my daughter, look at my wife and look at her eyes and understand that I'm a good man.
No matter what people say, we go on the road, they're chantingâI hate he (Arthur) hears that, but he has to. He has to understand that that's the way the world is, and you just gotta live and understand that there's gonna be negativity. There's gonna be positivity, but you gotta go through it and it's OK. Even I heard it and he was hearing those chants, and then I was like, âOK, who cares?â They might say, whatever, but at the end of the day, he sees me as his dad, and what I do every single day at home and present myself when I'm off the court and really, that's all that matters."