Joel Embiid profile shows how he's sabotaged himself

ESPN's recent profile of Joel Embiid discusses the former MVP's struggles with injuries, mistrust and adapting to the NBA. But while the piece is sympathetic, it also details the way Embiid hasn't helped his own cause.

There's no doubting Embiid's willingness to play through injuries. In 2024, Embiid aggravated a knee injury in the first round of the playoffs, then suffered a bout of facial paralysis. Still, he played and averaged 33 points, 10.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists in the series loss.

He also clearly works hard, building himself into an NBA MVP after growing up in Cameroon and not playing basketball seriously before age 16. Embiid moved to a new country, learning a new sport and a new language, while dealing with a misdiagnosed foot injury that cost him his first two seasons.

But while Embiid's journey is impressive, he acknowledges the ways he hasn't helped himself. Like, by showing up late habitually.

After the details of a team meeting where Tyrese Maxey called out Embiid for being "late for everything," Embiid had choice words for whoever leaked the story to the press. It's presented as one of many ways Embiid has lost trust in people near him, but it doesn't explain why Embiid showed up late so often, even before a game where he scored 70 points.