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Joel Embiid takes a shot at the media after making his return in preseason

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated Oct 18, 2025 12:25 AM ET

Joel Embiid is officially back (playing during the preseason).

The Philadelphia 76ers star center Embiid made his return to the court for Friday’s preseason finale against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Embiid, who got in his first game action since February, finished with an impressive line of 14 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, and three steals in just 18 minutes of action.

Take a look at some of Embiid’s highlights from the game, which Philadelphia won 126-110.

A return to remember for Joel Embiid tonight

14 PTS | 7 REB | 8 AST | 3 STL | 18 MIN pic.twitter.com/AgnSIryKGn
— NBA (@NBA) October 18, 2025

Speaking with reporters afterwards, Embiid was asked about his encouraging outing. The former NBA MVP then responded with some shade.

“I see all these guys,” said Embiid. “I’m here to help out. According to a lot of your peers [in the media], I’m not even a top 100 basketball player in this league. So I guess I just gotta fit in and see where I can help the team win.”

It is unclear if Embiid was just making up that slight as he was ranked No. 47 on ESPN’s top 100 players list for the 2025-26 season (after ranking at No. 8 last season). Other popular sites such as The Ringer (No. 54) and Bleacher Report (No. 26) had Embiid listed on their own top 100 lists as well.

After Embiid missed 62 games to injury last season and 43 the season before that, it is completely fair to question how he might measure up to the competition this season. Embiid, now 31, is still dealing with knee issues that could make his day-to-day availability in 2025-26 a real headache. But it at least sounds like the former MVP Embiid is finding ways to keep himself motivated against all the doubters.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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