Joel Embiid could write a detailed report about how he spent his summer vacation.
Embiid won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA. He signed a contract extension with Philadelphia that will pay him over $64 million in its last season. He also spoke at the UN General Assembly about innovation in Africa.
Along with his wife, Embiid is expecting a daughter, adding to their family that already includes a young son.
Additionally, his efforts to convince the Sixers to sign All-Star free agent Paul George resulted in one of the biggest acquisitions during his 10 years with the team. Not a bad offseason at all.
Before training camp starts next week, Embiid hosted a special event called the “In Memory of Arthur” block party to honor his late brother. This event, held on Friday night for Philadelphia Youth Basketball, focused on celebrating his brother’s life.
Embiid’s younger brother, Arthur, passed away in a car accident in 2014 when he was just 13. After moving to the U.S., Embiid named his son Arthur in his brother’s memory.
At the Sixth Man Center, the 76ers and PYB revealed a large mural that is 70 feet by 10 feet, overlooking the “In Memory of Arthur” Court, which was dedicated to Embiid and his family when the center opened earlier this year.
“It’s still tough, thinking about the whole thing,” Embiid said about his brother. “He’s also one of the reasons why I’m doing this. He was someone who cared about everybody.
It’s funny, all the stories that I heard because I hadn’t been around since I left Cameroon. Going back after his death, all the stories that I heard. Just someone I cared about, that was always giving back.”
Embiid and his son shot hoops at bounce houses and on the court during a Friday night event that was attended by Paul George, All-Star Tyrese Maxey, other Sixers teammates, and team president Daryl Morey.
“He’s somebody who took me in from Day 1,” Maxey said. “Joel, he was the first person who believed in me. He believes in all of y’all. He believes in all of Philly. We just really have to appreciate him. We just have to really cherish him.”
Maxey then asked nearly 200 kids, most of whom were wearing Embiid gear, to stand up and give the 7-footer a standing ovation.
Embiid, who signed a $193 million extension with a player option for the 2028-29 season, appreciated the support.
“Growing up, having been around a struggle, that’s always been a goal of mine, to have some sort of impact,” Embiid said. Throughout his career, Embiid has donated millions to community efforts in Philadelphia.
His charitable work includes donating his All-Star Game winnings to local homeless shelters, partnering with a grocery chain to assist families with rent or mortgage relief, and pledging, along with Sixers ownership in 2020, a total of $1.3 million to Penn Medicine for COVID-19 antibody testing for frontline health care workers.
Embiid named the party after his family and organized it to provide local kids with basketball and soccer clinics, games, food, and entertainment.
The local nonprofit Philadelphia Youth Basketball opened its $36 million Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center this summer, with $5 million support from a longtime season ticket holder.
The kids, excited from eating soft pretzels, cheered for George and Maxey as they entered the court.
Embiid was likely George’s biggest supporter. The 76ers convinced George to leave the Los Angeles Clippers and sign a four-year, $212 million contract.
George joins a Sixers team that has struggled to succeed, even as Embiid has become one of the best players in the NBA. Philadelphia has not won an NBA title since 1983 and hasn’t advanced past the second round of the playoffs since 2001.
“PG, great. I spent a lot of time recruiting Paul and I’m happy that he’s here,” Embiid said.
Embiid played an important role in helping the U.S. team win gold at the Paris Olympics. He also spoke during UN General Assembly week at Prince William’s Earthshot Award Innovation Summit in New York.
“It was all about Africa,” Embiid said. “I’m one of the guys that has been successful and that is hope. There’s a lot of us. I feel like using that opportunity to go makes sense. We don’t have a lot of opportunities. There’s a lot of me.”
Even without a championship, many people in Philadelphia admire Embiid.
“There’s no way, starting at 16, that I was supposed to be here,” Embiid said. “As long as you put the work in, and I guess, trust the process, it’s going to end up paying off.”
