Although he has been a breath of fresh air for an organization who badly needed it and has been nothing short of a sensation on and off the court in the 2016-17 season (despite his current injury) there was a time not long ago when Embiid was the butt of many a joke as “The Process” a player who some thought would never even step foot on NBA court.
Embiid missed his entire first two NBA seasons with chronic foot issues and didn’t get to play in an NBA game for two years and four months after being drafted as the No. 3 pick of the 2014 NBA Draft.
Embiid admitted on ESPN Radio Friday morning that all of his injury struggles and the two year wait to debut as an NBA player was a dark time for him.
“I was such in a dark place. I wanted to quit basketball. I just wanted to go back home and just leave everything behind.”
Embiid also dealt with the tragic death of his brother which caused things to spiral even more for him and added to his depression about his career and life in general, as he told ESPN Radio:
“That was right after my second surgery. I just couldn’t do it anymore. I just wanted to, like, quit.”
It has been amazing and a true treat to watch him play this season, he has the potential to be one of the best players in the NBA and one of the best centers the league has seen since the 1990’s golden era for big men.
It’s a huge credit that Embiid was able to persevere. His energy and spirit is infectious and has dragged the 76ers out of the slum that they have been stuck in for the past four seasons.
We can only hope his body doesn’t fail him so that we can see just how good Embiid can be over the next 10 to 15 years.
