It has been years since “The Process” was not really even making waves in the media, now Joel Embiid has capped off his recent season with a gold medal from the Olympics, and an MVP season in the 2022-23 run. Now he has extended his stay with the Philadelphia 76ers with the hopes of gearing them up for a promised run to the NBA Finals – which is the only thing that is quite missing in his career.

Embiid has been the cornerstone of the Sixers squad over the years since its tanking era that brought him, Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris at one point together. Embiid has even played with James Harden and Tyrese Maxey in the previous campaigns as well. So far, all of these has led to disappointments and second-round exits, but it seems that Embiid has really made himself dedicated to his mission.

With another max deal locked up, the Cameroonian star now sets his eyes on the prize once more, and fulfilling his goal of being a Sixer for his whole career at the same time. Bigger things are indeed expected of him heading into the NBA season.

Staying a Sixer

Embiid is now locked in until the end of the decade with the Sixers. He is the team’s franchise star for quite some time now, the first since Allen Iverson’s days with the team. Drafted third overall in 2013, the 30-year-old center has become the picture of the Sixers over the years, and it was quite obvious that they really built on him since his rise to stardom.

The seven-time All-Star has been one of the best centers in the game, and he is also known for stretching his game not just on defense, but also adapting to the modern norms of the NBA. Embiid has developed and even mastered a mid-range jumper of his own and is even seen as a threat from three – all that while being a force to be feared in the paint.

That says a lot about the value of Embiid in the Sixers. Even though he did have some setbacks coming from multiple foot and knee injuries that delayed his career all the way to the 2016-17 season, it seems that the wait was really worth it, and the team’s gamble paid off at the end of the day.

Going All-In with Philly

Now Embiid is going all-in in the coming season after coming up with a strong showing in the recent 2024 Paris Olympics. It is also worth noting that he missed a huge chunk of the previous NBA season due to an injury – and was leading the league in points scored per game and was even a frontrunner for the MVP award, which could have been his second had he not been disqualified for not meeting the required number of games played.

Embiid averaged 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 39 games last season, all while shooting 52.9% from the field and an impressive 38.8% from three. Fans are expecting that a fully-healthy and well-rested Embiid can actually make the most of his chances in the coming season.

Under his lead, the Sixers have never made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. After his rookie year, Philadelphia has lost twice in the first round, including last season, while falling short in the semifinals five times – with two of those in Ben Simmons’ Rookie of the Year run (2018) and Embiid’s MVP season (2023).