Already an NBA MVP and an Olympic gold medalist, All-Star center Joel Embiid now has until the end of the decade to try to win his first NBA championship with the Philadelphia 76ers.
With his new maximum contract secured, Embiid is focused on winning that title in Philadelphia and wants to stay with the Sixers for his entire career. “Philadelphia is home,” Embiid wrote on Instagram.
As a seven-time NBA All-Star, Embiid and the 76ers have reached an agreement for a $193 million extension, which includes a player option for the 2028-29 season.
This information came from someone familiar with the deal, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity since the terms haven’t been officially announced.
The 30-year-old Embiid, who went to high school in Florida and played one season at Kansas in college, shared the news on Friday morning by posting a photo of himself signing the contract next to team owner Josh Harris.
“I want to be here the rest of my career. I love this community and everything you’ve given me and my family,” Embiid wrote. “There is a lot more work to do. You guys deserve a championship and I think we’re just getting started.”
Embiid, who set a franchise record by scoring 70 points last season against San Antonio, ended his message with the well-known 76ers hashtag, “#trusttheprocess.”
Embiid is still in the second year of a $196 million extension he signed before the 2021 season. He is now the third key player to sign a big contract with the 76ers this offseason. The team hasn’t won an NBA title since 1983.
The 76ers also signed Paul George away from the Los Angeles Clippers with a four-year, $212 million deal. Last season’s NBA Most Improved Player, Tyrese Maxey, received a five-year, $204 million extension.
The 76ers have committed over $400 million in salary to two players they believe will help them compete with the NBA champion Boston Celtics.
With Embiid’s new contract, the Sixers are hoping for a strong Big Three that can compete for many years. However, Embiid has a history of injuries and hasn’t helped the team get past the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs yet.
He has never played more than 68 games in a season and scored an average of 34.7 points in just 39 games last season.
Selected by the 76ers as the No. 3 pick in the 2014 NBA draft, Embiid was named NBA MVP for the 2022-23 season and won a gold medal with Team USA at the recent Paris Olympics.
He has earned five All-NBA Team honors, been selected as an All-Star seven times in a row from 2017 to 2024, received three All-Defensive Team selections, and has been the NBA scoring champion twice.
“Joel has cemented himself as one of the greatest Sixers of all time and is well on his way to being one of the best players to ever play the game.
We’re ecstatic that this extension keeps him and his family in Philadelphia for years to come,” Harris said. “Joel is a great family man, leader, and person.
He is an elite two-way player with a combination of size, strength, and athleticism that this league has rarely – if ever – seen. He is integral to this franchise’s quest for another NBA Championship, and we are honored that he continues to choose this organization as his NBA home.”
In 433 games (all starts) with the team, Embiid has averaged 27.9 points while shooting 50.4%, along with 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.7 blocked shots in 31.9 minutes per game.
He ranks first in franchise history for scoring average (27.9 points per game), fifth in blocked shots (720), tied for sixth in triple-doubles (seven), and seventh in total points scored (12,071). Embiid is also third on the franchise list with eight 50-point games.
“I had no idea when I was drafted as a 20-year-old kid from Cameroon how lucky I was to be in Philadelphia,” Embiid said in a team statement. “Through all the ups and downs, this city and the fans have been everything, and I am so grateful for how they’ve embraced me.”
Before basketball, Embiid played youth soccer and didn’t start playing basketball until he was a teenager in Africa, after a friend told him that very few 7-footers succeed in soccer.
