Former KU center Joel Embiid strikes it rich with Sixers on $196 million extension
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, who played at Kansas during the 2013-14 season before embarking on an NBA career that has spanned seven seasons, has signed a four-year, $196 million supermax contract extension, ESPN.com reported on Tuesday.
Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey confirmed Tuesday that the 7-foot Embiid, the No. 3 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, who sat out two seasons at the start of his career because of injury, had signed a multi-year extension. The team did not disclose details in a news release.
According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, “the extension keeps Embiid under contract with the Sixers through the 2026-27 season for a total of $261 million. The four-time all-star already was set to make $65 million over the final two years of his current deal.”
This contract according to ESPN.com is fully guaranteed and includes a player option for the final year. According to Shelburne, the contract “ does not include the same provisions protecting the Sixers in case of catastrophic injury to Embiid’s lower back or feet, like the five-year, $147.7 million deal he signed in 2017.”
Embiid was enthused about the new deal.
“There’s no place like PHILADELPHIA!!! Excited to continue working towards bringing a title home and eventually retire here #PHILLY,” Embiid wrote Tuesday on Twitter.
In commenting on the extension in a news release, Sixers managing partner Josh Harris said of the 27-year-old Embiid: “Joel is the definition of elite — a role model in our community and a true MVP-caliber superstar on the court. “Since he was drafted in 2014, his rare blend of skills, charisma and leadership has transformed this franchise. We couldn’t be more grateful and excited to continue watching him in a 76ers uniform.”
Embiid averaged 28.5 points and 10.6 rebounds a game. during the 2020-21 season He was named a starter in the all-star game for the fourth-straight season.
For his career, Embiid has averaged 24.8 points and 11.3 rebounds a game.
Embiid along with Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal and David Robinson are the only players in NBA history to average at least 24 points and 11 rebounds in their first 260 games.
Embiid has a 173 career double-doubles, which ranks second all-time in franchise history since the 1983-84 season. Only Charles Barkley has more such games (398). According to the Sixers, among players that have debuted since 1954-55, Embiid is the NBA’s all-time leader in points per 36 minutes, with an average of 29.3, ranking ahead of Michael Jordan and George Gervin.
“Joel is going to be a bonafide Hall of Famer. That is a slam dunk,” Kansas coach Bill Self said last season when asked of Embiid’s possibly being enshrined some day.
“That’s like asking back in the Wilt (Chamberlain) era if Wilt would be a starter for KU. Chances are he would have been. He did things you can’t coach. He’s just different,” Self added.
Self told the story of Embiid actually wanting to redshirt his one-and-done season at Kansas.
“Tarik Black was a good player, a fourth-year senior. He came in as a graduate transfer. We thought those two would probably kind of share minutes,” Self said.
“One could play the 4. We’d get both 25 minutes a game. The first practice Joel was getting his butt kicked. Tarik was spinning him around. Joel came up to the office and said, ‘Coach you are going to have to redshirt me, aren’t you?’ I said, ‘No you are going to be the first pick in the draft this year.’
“That’s the first week he was here. For a guy who just picked up basketball (at age of 15) he’s picked it up great,” Self noted.
Of Embiid, who averaged 11.2 points and 8.1 rebounds in 28 games his one season at KU, Self said: “I’m amazed at his intellect. He can speak four languages. Everybody loves him. The coaches’ wives liked him so much. They’d make him anything. Brownies were all he ate..”
The Jayhawks basketball office was buzzing over Embiid’s extension on Tuesday.
“That’s big time. We love it. We’re really happy for him. He deserves it,” said KU assistant coach Jeremy Case. “The way he’s played, how much he’s had to fight through (with injuries his first two seasons), we’re all excited for him.”
This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 11:50 AM with the headline "Former KU center Joel Embiid strikes it rich with Sixers on $196 million extension."
