Despite the fact that he finished second in MVP voting in each of the past two seasons and is on track to be in that conversation again this season, Philadelphia 76ers All-Star center Joel Embiid is convinced that some fans in Philadelphia want to see him traded to another team.
“Sixers fans, they want to trade me,” Embiid recently told Yahoo Sports. “I do believe that. They want to trade me.”
If you know Embiid, you know it’s tough to tell if he’s completely serious sometimes, as he often jokes and leans on sarcasm when talking to media members. These recent comments were made in jest — likely intended as a soft jab at a notoriously fickle fanbase. However, there’s often truth hidden in jest, and this isn’t the first time that Embiid has made such a comment this season, which makes you think there might be at least part of him that believes it. After the team started the season 0-3, Embiid joked that the fans probably wanted him traded and the rest of the roster shipped down to the G League.
The truth of the matter is that there probably are some fans in Philly that want to see the team go in a different direction after several recent postseason disappointments, but those fans represent a minority, not a majority. Most still believe that Embiid represents the team’s best chance at a championship.
Since being drafted in 2014, Embiid has come to embody Sixers basketball, and he’s the team’s longest tenured player. In fact, he’s one of the longest tenured players in the entire NBA. Only Udonis Haslem (Miami Heat), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) have been with their respective franchises longer than Embiid.
Despite the fact that he thinks that at least some of the Sixers faithful would like to see him in a different uniform, Embiid remains completely committed to trying to bring a championship to Philadelphia.
“It’s not easy. But then again, I love it. I love the challenge,” Embiid said. “I’m always telling myself, if I make it happen,…
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