Unpacking the Joel Embiid Shutdown

It’s all over for Joel Embiid. For this season, anyway.

The announcement that he’d be forgoing the rest of the Philadelphia 76ers’ 2024-25 campaign was, quite frankly, a long time coming. Embiid’s absence in 10 of the Sixers’ first 11 games was a red flag, one that couldn’t be ignored even when the former MVP logged 30-point games and a double-double over the next few weeks.

In the end, the wear and tear on his knee—which had not properly recovered after he participated in Philly’s postseason run and Team USA’s gold medal campaign last year—took its bitter toll. Embiid will not be suiting up again for the foreseeable future.

I do find it bothersome when I go online and see fans “suggesting” that the big man walk away from the sport, given his history of injuries. I didn’t realize that there were so many physical therapists and career coaches offering their counsel for free on X.

Me, I’m rooting for Embiid to choose the route that he’d be happiest with, whether that’s embarking on an arduous process of recovery or doing something else for a living. Though the abrupt conclusion of his 2024-25 season is crystal clear, there’s one question that I can’t help ruminating on.

His legacy.

When all is said and done, how will Joel Hans Embiid be remembered as a competitor on the grand stage of the NBA? 

Among the current crop of NBA players, not too many have a more impressive resume than the 7-foot Cameroonian. (Sorry, that’s Cameroonian-American.) Embiid’s resume includes seven All-Star appearances, five All-NBA selections, two scoring titles, and three All-Defensive Team nods. Out of thousands of players who have competed in the league since the mid-1950s, Embiid is one of just 63 men to win the NBA MVP award.

All well and good, but there’s something missing on his trophy case. Not a single championship ring has come Embiid’s way after 11 years of grinding it out in the NBA.

Should we, then, regard Embiid as one of the all-time greats? Can we even label him one of the greatest players of his generation—a generation that also includes Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic? 

I’ve always maintained that greatness is measured by three things: individual accomplishments, team accolades, and the extent to which the individual contributed to team accolades. Antetokounmpo and Jokic, both highly accomplished competitors, were the undisputed driving forces behind their teams’ recent titles. Embiid used to be a driving force, but he has no title.

Let’s reframe the “zero rings” argument in another way: Has Embiid truly elevated the Sixers franchise? Since being drafted third overall by Philadelphia in the 2014 NBA Draft, has he done more good than harm to the team? 

While there are certainly things that are beyond his control—roster management and the Ben Simmons fiasco come to mind—Embiid has been the undisputed cornerstone of the team for a decade now. I believe it’s fair, then, to criticize the big man for failing to lead the Sixers past the second round after all these years. Sure, Embiid’s gravity pulled in stars like Jimmy Butler, James Harden and Paul George into Philly’s orbit, but what do the Sixers have to show for all this star power?

I might be too restrictive in my definition of greatness, though. Think back to the likes of Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, and the late Elgin Baylor, and ask yourself if you can consider any of them to be an all-time great. Their total combined NBA championships: zero. If all of these title-less players could make it to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, who’s to say that Embiid can’t one day be regarded as a great player himself?

I honestly don’t know how much—or, indeed, how little—these elite athletes think about the legacy they’ll leave behind one day. I’m willing to bet, though, that the foremost concern on Embiid’s mind right now isn’t whether his name will be associated with greatness. More like, whether his knee can recuperate and make fans forget about the scenario of his retirement.

It’s all over for Joel Embiid this season. When he finally calls it a career, how would you remember him?

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