Have a look at Joel Embiid’s journey & dominance to celebrate his birthday

The 76er big man celebrates his birthday today. Here is a bit more about his journey to the NBA and his current season of dominance.

Happy Birthday, Joel Embiid! The Philadelphia 76er Center has had quite a journey to get to the NBA and be the player he is today. Joel Embiid was born on March 16 1994 in Yaounde, Cameroon. He never played basketball until the age of 15 and was planning on being a professional Volleyball player.

At 15 Embiid began playing basketball and was discovered at a basketball camp by Luc Mbah a Moute, a fellow Cameroonian from Yaounde and an NBA player at that time. With Mbah as his mentor, Embiid joined the Montverde academy in the US at 16 and decided to become a professional basketball player. He then transferred to The Rock School in Gainesville, Florida due to a lack of playing time in Montverde.

Advertisement

He averaged 13 points,9.7 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in his senior year and led his high school to a state championship. Embiid then joined the University of Kansas in 2013 and played for one year there. He averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 2.6 blocks in his college career. He then declared for the draft in 2014 and was drafted 3rd overall by the 76ers.

Before he was drafted Embiid had a broken Navicular bone in his right foot. Even after undergoing surgery, the injury persisted for 2 years and he was unable to play for the 76ers until October 4, 2016. He played his first game against the Boston Celtics in the preseason. Embiid’s first NBA game was against the Oklahoma City Thunder in which he scored 20 points and 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.

The rest is history. Embiid continued to have health issues throughout his career. This season is different though. The Big man has employed a dietician and personal trainer and has stayed in shape throughout the season. Embiid is having his best season ever and is a frontrunner for the MVP award. He is averaging 29.9 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists this season.

Embiid is on pace to be the first Center to win the scoring title since Shaquille O’Neal did it in the 1999-2000 season. The Big Man continues to dominate the league and has led his team to Championship contention this season.