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August 18, 2021

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76ers, Embiid agree 4-year deal

Source: AP | 00:00 UTC+8 August 18, 2021 | Print Edition

The Philadelphia 76ers have kept their trust in Joel Embiid

They signed the All-Star center to a multiyear contract that a person familiar with the situation said was a four-year, US$196-million extension, taking Embiid through the 2026-27 season.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because specific terms of the deal announced yesterday were not made public.

The 27-year-old Embiid was National Basketball Association MVP runner-up this season to Denver’s Nikola Jokic and led the Sixers to the best regular-season record in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers lost in the second round to the Atlanta Hawks.

The Sixers tweeted a photo of Embiid and team owner Josh Harris with the contract that said, “@joelembiid isn’t going anywhere.”

“Joel is the definition of elite — a role model in our community and a true MVP-caliber superstar on the court,” Harris said. “Since he was drafted in 2014, his rare blend of skills, charisma and leadership has transformed this franchise.”

76ers President Daryl Morey tweeted a photo of Embiid signing the contract with a lock and title trophy emojis.

Embiid averaged of 28.5 points and 10.6 rebounds last season and became eligible for the NBA’s super-max extension. Embiid, the No. 3 overall pick out of Kansas in the 2014 draft, tore cartilage in his right knee during the playoffs. He played through the injury and has emerged as Philadelphia’s franchise player.

“It just felt like this was going to be our year,” Embiid said after the Sixers were eliminated in Game 7. “If there’s one thing I want to say, I gave everything I had. It’s not easy, especially when something always happens at the wrong time. I was ready, this whole playoffs, to just come in and dominate and do what I had to do. The meniscus happened.”

His new deal will start in 2023-24. Embiid and the 76ers signed a US$148-million, five-year extension that kicked in with the 2018-19 season.

Embiid averaged 24.8 points and 11.3 rebounds over his first five seasons in the NBA. Embiid, a native of Cameroon, sat out his first two seasons with injuries and has never played more than 64 games in a season over his career. He missed games this year with a bone bruise on his left knee.

He scored a postseason career-high 36 points in 28 minutes in a Game 3 first-round win over Washington.

Embiid has solidified his future in Philly at the same time fellow All-Star guard Ben Simmons faces an uncertain one with the team after a rough offseason. The Sixers expected to pair Embiid and Simmons as cornerstones who could keep the Sixers East contenders for a decade. Instead, Simmons became the scapegoat for the Sixers’ early elimination from the playoffs and his name has been dangled in trade rumors all summer.

Embiid, though, is signing the kind of contract that locks him in as a Sixer through the prime of his career.

Embiid joined Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal and David Robinson as the only players in NBA history to average at least 24 points and 11 rebounds in their first 260 games.

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