Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has made it clear that he is desperate to win an NBA Championship and desires to do so whether he is on the books of Philly or not.
The highly-rated centre’s future with the Philadelphia 76ers is uncertain following a 2022-23 season which saw the Cameroonian win the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) accolade.
Embiid is entering the eighth season with the franchise and he is contemplating his next move, with his teammate and friend James Harden keen to be traded by the team.
“I just want to win a championship. Whatever it takes,” Embiid said. “I don’t know where that’s gonna be, whether it’s in Philly or anywhere else, I just want to have a chance to accomplish that.
“I want to see what it feels like to win that first one, and then you can think about the next one. It’s not easy, but it takes more than one or two, three guys,” 29-year-old added.
Embiid signed a four-year, $US213 million contract extension at the 76ers in 2021 and that deal runs through 2027.
The Yaounde-born player moved to the United States at age 16 after being discovered at a basketball camp by compatriot Luc Mbah a Moute.
He attended Montverde Academy and The Rock School at High School level, before attending the University of Kansas for one year.
Embiid was then drafted third overall by the 76ers in the 2014 NBA draft. The 7-foot (2.1 m) Embiid is a six-time NBA All-Star, a five-time member of the All-NBA Team and a three-time member of the All-Defensive Team.
He was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2023.
He has averaged 11.2 rebounds per game, 3.4 assists per game and 27.2 pointer per game through his NBA regular season career (with the respective numbers sitting at 10.9, 2.8 and 24 for his playoff career).
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