Joel Embiid shouts out Sam Hinkie after Sixers clinch No. 1 seed

Embiid, who was drafted by Hinkie back in 2014, always rides for the ex-Sixers executive. Hinkie’s strategy of blatantly bottoming out for top draft selections was a controversial one and one that the Sixers did not quite see all the way through before his departure in 2016. But Hinkie’s efforts helped the team land both Embiid and Ben Simmons. Now that Philadelphia has clinched their first No. 1 seed as well as their first division title in the last 20 years, he has been vindicated in a sense.

There has even been talk recently of Hinkie attending a Sixers’ playoff game, as he is clearly still beloved by many in the organization.