#21 Center

Joel Embiid

Height / Weight
7' 0" / 280 lbs
Born
Mar 16, 1994 (30)
College
Kansas
NBA Draft
1st Round, 3rd Overall, 2014
Nationality
Cameroonian
SEASON STATS
2023-2024
PTS
34.7
+1.6
Rebounds
11.0
+0.9
Assists
5.6
+1.5
PER
41.74
+4.29
PLAYER INFO
Full Name: Joel Embiid
Place of Birth: Yaounde, Cameroon
Shoe Size: 17
Education: Kansas
Parents: Thomas Embiid, Christine Embiid
Spouse: Anne de Paula

Joel Embiid Biography Details, Age, Net Worth, & Basketball Career

Joel Embiid is a pro basketball player from Cameroon who currently plays center for the Philadelphia 76ers. He was born March 16, 1994, in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. After initially hoping to pursue a career as a pro volleyball player, Embiid began playing basketball at age 15. He was discovered by former NBA player Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who is also from Yaoundé and helped Embiid move to the United States at age 16 to pursue a basketball career.

After playing one year of college basketball at Kansas, Embiid was the 3rd overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft despite a foot injury that was expected to sideline him for several months. A setback injury ultimately prevented him from playing during his first two seasons in the NBA. Embiid didn’t make his NBA debut until the 2016-17 season but did enough in 31 games to make the All-Rookie First Team. 

In October 2017, Embiid signed a five-year, $148 million deal with the 76ers. He then began to emerge as one of the best big men in the NBA. Embiid was named an all-star in 2018, 2019, and 2020. He was also an all-NBA Second-Team and All-Defensive Second Team selection in 2018 and 2019.

Joel Embiid Basketball Career

High School Career (The Rock School)

After Joel Embiid moved to the United States at age 16, he enrolled at Montverde Academy in Florida. However, after a lack of playing time, he transferred to The Rock School in Gainesville, Florida. As a senior, Embiid averaged 13.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game, leading his team to a 33-4 record and a state championship.

College Career (Kansas Jayhawks)

After being labeled a five-star prospect by most recruiting services, Embiid chose to play at Kansas for head coach Bill Self. He appeared in 28 games during his freshman season, starting 20 of those games, before suffering a stress fracture in his back. The injury ended his season before the Big 12 Tournament and NCAA Tournament.

In the 28 games he played, Embiid 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game. He was named All-Big 12 Second Team and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. After the season, he left Kansas and declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft.

NBA Career

Less than a week before the 2014 NBA Draft, Embiid underwent surgery to address a broken bone in his foot. Despite the surgery ruling him out for an estimated four to six months, the Philadelphia 76ers drafted Embiid 3rd overall. However, the foot injury kept him from playing during the 2014-15 season while a setback to the injury prevented Embiid from playing during the 2015-16 season.

Embiid finally made the NBA debut early in the 2016-17 season. However, a torn meniscus in his left knee ended his season in February. Despite playing just 31 games, Embiid was named to the All-Rookie First Team after averaging 20.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Before the start of the 2017-18 season, Embiid agreed to a five-year, $148 million extension with the 76ers.

Embiid continued to break out during the 2017-18 season, making the All-Star Team for the first time. However, injuries continued to hinder Embiid, limiting him to 63 games during the 2017-18 season and 64 games during the 2018-19 seasons. On the bright side, Embiid was named an All-Star again in 2019, finishing the season with 27.5 points and 13.6 rebounds per game. Embiid was also named an All-Star in 2020 before the NBA season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Joel Embiid Net Worth, Salary, Endorsements & Career Earnings

Ahead of the 2019-20 season, Joel Embiid had earned $45.4 million from his NBA salary. A majority of that came from his $25.4 million salary during the 2018-19 season, which was the first year after signing a five-year extension with the 76ers in 2017. His salary will cross the $30 million threshold for the first time during the 2021-22 season. Embiid also has a lucrative endorsement deal with Under Armour.

Joel Embiid signed a four-year, $20 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2014.

Joel Embiid signed a five-year, $148 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2017.

Joel Embiid Personal Life

Embiid was born in the Cameroon capital city of Yaoundé to parents Thomas and Christine Embiid. He grew up with two younger siblings, a brother named Arthur and a sister named Muriel. Unfortunately, Arthur passed away in a car accident in 2014 at the age of 16.

Embiid has been in a relationship with Brazilian model Anne de Paula since 2018.

Awards & Achievements

Awards and Honors by Type:
3 x NBA All-Star
2018-2020
2 x All-NBA Second Team
2018, 2019
2 x NBA All-Defensive Second Team
2018, 2019
1 x NBA All-Rookie First Team
2017
Awards and Honors by Year:
2017
NBA All-Rookie First Team
2018
NBA All-Star, All-NBA Second Team, NBA All-Defensive Second Team
2019
NBA All-Star, All-NBA Second Team, NBA All-Defensive Second Team
2020
NBA All-Star

Joel Embiid Quotes

  • "TRUST THE PROCESS"
  • “I want to win the MVP. I feel like, at the end of the day, it might be an individual award, but when I play better, the team also does.”
  • “When I look at myself, I'm not a big man - I'm a guard. I can do everything on the basketball court. You can name it - pass, post up, shoot the ball, bring the ball up, being a playmaker - so I'm excited to break that stereotype.”
  • “I'm trying to dominate, and if you dominate, you're going to be hated because you're going to talk so much stuff.”
  • “I love competing. I mean, if you ask anybody around me, my coaches, they know I love competing. I hate losing.”
  • “The Process is never going to end. It's an ongoing thing. I don't think it's ever going to stop. As I have explained before, it's a process for making it to the playoffs, it's another one to make the conference finals, another one to actually go to The Finals and win the championship.”

Joel Embiid Fun Facts

  • Joel Embiid is fluent in English, French, and Basaa, a language that’s native to Cameroon.
  • Joel Embiid gave himself the nickname “The Process” in response to the adage “trust the process.”
  • Joel Embiid abstains from drinking alcohol but has been known to drink three or four pitchers of Shirley Temples.
  • Joel Embiid has been known to flirt with women on Instagram, even married women.
  • Joel Embiid fabricated a story about how he killed a lion when he was six-years-old.
  • While at Kansas, Joel Embiid tried and failed to learn how to drive a car four times.
  • Joel Embiid nearly quit basketball after injuries prevented him from playing for two and a half years.
  • Joel Embiid believes that if he didn’t play basketball, he would be good enough to play on the Cameroon National Soccer Team.
Career stats
2023-2024
PHI
2022-2023
PHI
2021-2022
PHI
2020-2021
PHI
2019-2020
PHI
2018-2019
PHI
2017-2018
PHI
2016-2017
PHI
2015-2016
PHI
2014-2015
PHI
Season Team G MIN FG% 3P% FT% REB AST BLK STL PTS
2023-2024
39 33.6 52.9 38.8 88.3 11.0 5.6 1.7 1.2 34.7
2022-2023
66 34.6 54.8 33.0 85.7 10.2 4.2 1.7 1.0 33.1
2021-2022
68 33.8 49.9 37.1 81.4 11.7 4.2 1.5 1.1 30.6
2020-2021
51 31.1 51.3 37.7 85.9 10.5 2.8 1.4 1.0 28.5
2019-2020
51 29.5 47.7 33.1 80.7 11.6 3.0 1.3 0.9 23.0
2018-2019
64 33.7 48.4 30.0 80.4 13.6 3.7 1.9 0.7 27.5
2017-2018
63 30.3 48.3 30.8 76.9 11.0 3.2 1.8 0.6 22.9
2016-2017
31 25.4 46.6 36.7 78.3 7.8 2.1 2.5 0.9 20.2
2015-2016
0 N/A 0.0 0.0 0.0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
2014-2015
0 N/A 0.0 0.0 0.0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Recent Games
Thu 5/2
Tue 4/30
Sun 4/28
Thu 4/25
Mon 4/22
Sat 4/20
Wed 4/17
Fri 4/12
Tue 4/9
Sat 4/6
Date Opp RESULT MIN PTS OR DR REB AST STL BLK TO
Thu 5/2
L 118-115
40 39 5 8 13 2 1 1 5
Tue 4/30
W 112-106
47 19 5 11 16 10 1 4 9
Sun 4/28
L 97-92
43 27 0 10 10 6 3 2 4
Thu 4/25
W 114-125
40 50 1 7 8 4 0 1 3
Mon 4/22
L 101-104
39 34 5 5 10 6 0 1 2
Sat 4/20
L 104-111
36 29 3 5 8 6 2 0 2
Wed 4/17
W 104-105
38 23 3 12 15 5 1 0 3
Fri 4/12
W 113-125
32 32 0 13 13 7 0 1 4
Tue 4/9
W 102-120
35 37 2 9 11 8 3 2 5
Sat 4/6
W 116-96
22 30 3 9 12 1 0 2 8

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