It’s fall, the NBA is back, and the Philadelphia 76ers are finally blooming. During their debut game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Sixers’ big man Joel Embiid stepped up to take foul shots. Simultaneously, the Wells Fargo Center erupted chanting “Trust the process!” This was one of approximately eight standing ovations he received throughout the night. On a separate occasion, the fans were shouting “M-V-P!” What’s interesting is up until that night, Embiid had not played a game of basketball in two years, let alone in the NBA. In fact, he started playing basketball just six years ago.
Hyped up to be the next Shaquille O’Neal, Embiid was selected 3rd in the 2014 NBA draft. Before the 2014 NBA season started he broke his right foot, forcing him to the sideline for the entire year. The following year it happened again, same bone, same time. For 164 games Embiid sat anxiously waiting for his chance, assuring fans and reporters to, “trust the process.”
It was not easy. Embiid was never allowed to practice, which separated him from his team — the closest thing he has to a family west of the Atlantic. His parents ended a short stint in the U.S. after Embiid was drafted and returned to Cameroon to mourn the loss of Embiid’s little brother. The 13-year-old died after a renegade truck flipped into a Cameroonian schoolyard. An Instagram post picturing his brother in a white suit reads: “RIP for my brother who died at the age of 13. The bad thing is that I hadn’t seen him since I left Cameroon four years ago and all these days, I was just thinking about next summer so I have a chance to finally see him again.” “Why me?” Embiid would ask himself. He seriously considered ending his basketball career to return to Cameroon on three occasions, but he would not allow himself to give up.
In tragedy, Embiid found adversity through comedic expression. It is not Embiid’s 7’2” 250-pound stature that defines him as a colossus, but rather his larger than life personality. He photoshopped a picture of Rihanna wearing his jersey, he proclaimed his love for Kim Kardashian and Vampire Diaries, and he even let out a spoiler alert; “In a shocking turn of events @AndiDorfman has CHOSEN Joel EMBIID over josh and nick #TheBachelorette.” In a Sports Illustrated interview, Embiid quotes “You know how I learned to shoot? I watched white people. Just regular white people. They really put their elbow in and finish up top. You can find videos of them online.”
After two years of trials and tribulations, Embiid finally made his debut and put the league on watch. He scored 20 points in 20 minutes, swatted a shot from MVP candidate Russell Westbrook, drained a three-pointer and emphatically blocked Victor Oladipo in transition.
Embiid’s mantra to “trust the process” refers to more than his elongated path to recovery. It also gives nod to ex-General Manager Sam Hinkie, who infamously (or now famously?) stockpiled draft picks via trades and tanking multiple seasons. Embiid is the result of these efforts and by judging what he did on the court during his debut, the City of Love ought to put a ring on it.