As Joel Embiid works his way back from a left knee injury, the Philadelphia 76ers superstar center pushed back against several media narratives that have plagued his career. These include the perception that he is more focused on accumulating personal accolades than team goals.
When healthy, Embiid has proven to be one of the NBA’s most dominant big men, garnering seven All-Star selections and five All-NBA nods. He peaked during the 2022-23 campaign, winning MVP behind a league-best scoring average of 33.1 points per game.
Even so, Embiid has experienced limited playoff success, having yet to advance beyond the second round since being drafted No. 3 in the 2014 NBA Draft. Meanwhile, injuries have begun to derail his career, holding him to fewer than 40 outings in back-to-back seasons, casting doubt on his future.
Joel Embiid Defends His 2023 MVP Victory, Highlights His Career Growth
In a feature by ESPN’s Dotun Akintoye released on Wednesday, Embiid opened up about being misunderstood by the general public. The 31-year-old reflected on a series of media talking points that he considers unfair regarding his leadership, drive and accountability.
When asked about the notion that he “cares too much about individual awards,” Embiid defended with his 2023 MVP award. The Cameroonian native beat out Denver Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokić for the award, who went on to seize his first NBA championship later that year.
“If you are in a position to win an MVP, I don’t care who you are, you’re going after it because I never believed I would be in this position, first of all,” Embiid said.
Embiid then noted that despite constantly facing a barrage of detractors, he is proud of his development into an elite two-way player.
“Second of all, when I got in the league, I thought, ‘Yeah, maybe I’ll have a chance to be a great defensive player.’ I never thought I was going to be this good offensively,” Embiid said.
Joel Embiid says he doesn’t appreciate when people claim he cares too much about individual awards
“If you are in a position to win an MVP, I don’t care who you are, you’re going after it because I never believed I would be in this position, first of all. Second of all, when I… pic.twitter.com/bau1e1tzds
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 16, 2025
Regarding criticism surrounding his playoff track record, Embiid pointed to his increased playing time in the postseason (career 35.3 minutes a night) as proof he cares about winning.
“You’re basically saying that he’s playing harder in the regular season than he’s playing in the playoffs, which doesn’t make sense because if you look at the minutes, the minutes rise,” Embiid said. “And you’re playing harder. And you do more on both ends of the floor.”
Embiid is in the process of rehabbing from arthroscopic left knee surgery that he underwent on April 9. While he “hasn’t progressed to full on-court basketball activities yet,” the 76ers reportedly “remain hopeful that he’ll be cleared to suit up for the start of the 2025-26 season.”
Embiid will look to recapture his 2023 form as Philadelphia seeks to rebound from an injury-riddled 24-win campaign.
