Feb 22, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) holds his leg after a play against the Brooklyn Nets during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

76ers Legend Reveals Concerning Joel Embiid Practice Story

Originally posted on Philadelphia 76ers on SI
By Eric Jay Santos | Last updated Jun 16, 2025 8:50 AM ET

In an appearance on The Mike Missanelli Show , Charles Barkley shared that he attended a Philadelphia 76ers training camp with Billy Cunningham about five years ago. During the team’s workouts, 76ers center Joel Embiid left a bad impression on Cunningham.

"Brett Brown was trying to connect with all the older guys. So, he invited me and Billy Cunningham to practice one day, at the start of training camp. Me and Billy went down there and they were doing light workout stuff, 'Okay, we're training to practice now.' This is the first day of training camp. Joel goes and sits down. The other guys scrimmage for an hour and a half. Billy says, 'We gotta go.' I said, 'Why, Billy?' He says, 'The best player? When they sit down instead of scrimmaging, this team is never going to be successful,'" Barkley said. "Billy was pissed."

Barkley used the story as an example of how Embiid’s lack of conditioning may contribute to injury struggles. Whether the Hall of Famer is correct or not, Embiid was limited to only 19 games during the 2024-2025 season due to knee issues.

Still, Embiid has shown consistency over the years. The Brett Brown-era 76ers were playoff qualifiers from 2017 to 2020, in which the seven-time All-Star averaged 20+ points and 10+ rebounds over 50+ games.

Based on Barkley’s timeline, Embiid went on to lead Philadelphia to a postseason appearance after that season’s training camp. It’s possible that Cunningham caught the 2023 MVP on a bad day.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia 76ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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