http://projects.theplayerstribune.com/joel-embiid-the-only-way-is-through/p/1Embiid Players Tribune, pretty good.
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To anybody who is going through something right now.... To anybody who is struggling....
I got a little story for you.
I actually don’t know how many people know this, but right after I got drafted, back in 2014, I thought about walking away from the game. I’m not exaggerating at all. I seriously considered retiring from the NBA before I’d even played one game.
It actually had nothing to do with my injuries. Your body, it heals. It always heals. All that pain is just temporary. Your heart, though? Man — that’s different. It’s a lot more complicated.
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The night I finally got to play for real in front of the Philly crowd, after two years of waiting, I thought I was going to run out of the tunnel and get booed. For real, I thought the 76ers fans were going to boo me since I was out for so long. Then I’ll never forget scoring my first bucket — the half-turnaround at the top of the key. I ran back down the floor and swatted Westbrook in the lane, and the crowd just went crazy. After everything I'd had to fight through to get there, that's still probably one of the best moments of my life.
I really couldn’t believe how much Philly had my back. For the last few years, people have given me so much support through so many ups and downs, through so many surgeries and setbacks, through me breaking my damn face before the 2018 playoffs. It’s way bigger than basketball.
That’s why I got so emotional after Game 7 against Toronto last season.
When Kawhi took that off-balance shot at the buzzer — as soon as it left his hands I thought, nah there's no way.
When it bounced off the rim once I thought, it's over.
When it bounced twice, three times, I thought, there's no fucking way.
It bounced a fourth time, and it went in. For whatever reason, it just went in.
I don’t think I’ve ever showed that kind of emotion on a basketball court in my life. The game of basketball, it’s not life or death. But it wasn’t about the game really. I had tears in my eyes walking off the court because of how much I wanted it for the city, and for my family.
I had to live with that regret pretty much all summer. I blamed myself. Maybe I could’ve blocked the shot. Maybe we could’ve been on that podium instead of Kawhi and those guys. We’ll never know, and that sucks.
All summer, every time someone posted that picture of me and Kawhi staring at the ball hanging on the rim, I didn’t even click away. I wanted it to be burned into my brain as motivation. And you know what? In the end, those guys deserved the title. They played harder than everybody else — period. Every single guy on their squad did all the little things they had to do to win. It was a lesson that we needed to learn as a team, and I think we’re still learning it this season.
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But I gotta be honest with you. This isn’t 1995. This is 2020. I’m not working every single day to be the next Dream. There’s only one Dream. There’s only one Shaq. I’m not trying to be the best Big ever. I’m trying to be the best basketbalplayer in the league, and I really believe I can be that.
I’m done with the trash talking and the memes and all that. Once I’m holding that trophy in my hands, maybe I’ll be back to my charming self. For now, I got one thing on my mind.
I’m not trying to win a debate.
I’m trying to win a fucking title.
Sincerely,
Joel
This post was edited by Sixers on Jan 15 2020 05:13pm