Hailing “7 Ft Kobe” Joel Embiid, Ex-teammate Reveals Underrated Aspect of the Reigning MVP

Joel Embiid is the epitome of loyalty. Drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2014, “The Process” breathes, eats, and lives basketball. Even with the many setbacks his team had to endure over the years, the Cameroonian stood his ground. Bettering his skills to grow into the elite rim protector he is now and one of the best defenders in the league, Joel is the Sixers’ backbone.

In the midst of all this, there is something that has gone unnoticed by many. And it just so happens that his former teammate is the one to bring light to it.

Ex-teammate has a lot to say on Embiid’s unseen side

Former teammate Georges Niang recently joined Mavs guard Theo Pinson on his podcast episode. While they were discussing his journey into the NBA, Theo asked to explain Niang’s 2-year stint with Philly. More importantly, his time with “7 feet Kobe“, Joel Embiid. He also brings our attention to a side of the big man that not many have seen. “What he demands out of himself, he’s like, demanding out of you.”

“The Minivan” goes on to explain a particular instance that happened during his first practice session. One player had passed him a ball with which he made a three, and then another one. This time Embiid caught it, and double-passed it to Niang, who made the shot once more, only to miss. He walked to Niang and said, “I need you to make that.” 

“That was almost like him telling me, like, “Hey, I believe in you. I’m going to pass you the ball, but you need to make that, like, I demand greatness out of myself and I’m going to demand it out of you,” he added. “He ain’t going to say that to everybody.” 

For a basketball player like Niang, who had to tell himself to just keep grinding, and finally, to be recognized by a legendary player like Joel Embiid is life-changing.

Why Joel Embiid is the most efficient scorer in all of NBA

When the Sixers center was drafted, he missed significant game time due to his injuries. As such, his game against the Washington Wizards on November 8 marks his 400th NBA regular season. Even with such a gap in his time on the court, Embiid holds the record in fourth place for the most points (10, 913) accumulated from the past 40 seasons for 400 games.

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What is so special about this? Pretty sure there are other players with a higher score, right? Of course. The three ahead of Embiid are LeBron James, Alex English, and Michael Jordan. Here is the twist – Joel Embiid has played fewer minutes than anyone on this list!

To make things more clear, let’s take a look at the data compiled by StatMuse using the points per 36 minutes/game metric. According to this, Embiid holds the record for the NBA’s all-time leader in amassing the most career points – 30.9. And he has only played 403 games.

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Jordan has played a total of 1,072 games, ranking third with 28.3 points. While LeBron is in the ninth position, having played 1430 games with 25.72 points. Now, do you see what makes “The Process” so great?