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Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Joel Embiid took time to address media narratives surrounding his injury-plagued 2024-25 campaign, following his participation in competing for a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics. In an exclusive interview, Embiid sent a message to the 76ers organization. After another setback due to surgery on his left knee, Joel addressed his future and dismissed the notion that his participation in last year's Olympics led to missing most of the season.
Embiid says playing for Team USA didn't impact his start to the regular season, per ESPN's Dotun Akintoye.
“Compare that to the way I was moving against New York,” Embiid says. “No, it did not set me back.”
Still, Embiid wasn't 100% when he arrived for Team USA's training camp. The managing director of USA Basketball, Grant Hill, commended Embiid for playing through injury, even if it wasn't the best of his long-term plans with the 76ers.
When Embiid reported to camp for Team USA in early July, he was “not at his best,” Hill said. “But we were patient … we knew we needed him.”
Embiid worked diligently to prepare his body for Team USA's first group stage match against Serbia. Hill says Embiid “was the best player on the court.”
“We don't beat Serbia without him,” Hill said. “Us being patient with him had paid off.”
However, not everyone agreed with that take.
“He's pushing his risk of injury in a setting where he's not even gaining anything except riding tails of other all-stars,” wrote one veteran Philadelphia commentator before the medal rounds had begun.
Joel Embiid was ‘excited' for Team USA before 76ers campaign
76ers All-Star Joel Embiid's stern message to the organization about his injury came off as defensive, but not with a committal undertone to ease 76ers fans ahead of next season. However, will he be ready to play a full season? Kimberly Caspare, Embiid's physical therapist, put it quite bluntly regarding Embiid's recovery in the past.
“He was OK to get his contract, and he was OK to win a gold medal,” Caspare says. “We were OK.”
She could tell Embiid was really excited to be a part of Team USA's gold medal team.
Embiid was excited to do the little things, such as setting screens for Steph Curry. But he promptly got sick.
“Really sick,” Caspare says. “Nobody really knows how sick.”
Still, he played against Serbia in a crucial game that ultimately led to a gold medal.
