PHILADELPHIA — At media day in 2022, Joel Embiid joked that he did nothing but chill on his bed and couch all summer. This summer was a much different story until the very end. Before media day for the 2024-25 season, the Philadelphia 76ers' superstar embarked on a week that was anything but uneventful.

Embiid's offseason diverged from prior ones mainly because of his commitment to Team USA, teaming up with other NBA superstars to take home the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. He also took a trip back to his native Cameroon to receive an honor from the president, signed a three-year extension with the 76ers and made an appearance on NBA Countdown that included a not-so-subtle hint on Philly's pursuit of Paul George.

The week before media day, Embiid visited the United Nations General Assembly in New York City and hosted the “In Memory of Arthur” Block Party event in partnership with Philadelphia Youth Basketball at The Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center. Food trucks, games and music blanketed the parking lot outside of the entrance to the courts, one of which is named after Embiid's initiative and boasts a new, colorful mural of the big man.

“It's good, and it's also good for the city of Philadelphia. I built a lot here. Off the court is always the most important for me,” Embiid said. “To have an impact, not just with this but with some of the other stuff that we've done, it's great.”

George, Tyrese Maxey, Andre Drummond, Guerschon Yabusele and Daryl Morey were in attendance at the block party. Maxey took the microphone briefly and sparked a standing ovation for Embiid from the crowd of roughly 200 kids in attendance, all of whom had a No. 21 jersey. He called Embiid “one of my closest friends now, someone who took me in from day one.”

Embiid said that “having been around a lot of struggle” growing up in Cameroon inspired him to host events like these and to give back to his adopted home city. When kids play basketball in front of the mural of him, he hopes they emulate his humility — even though that’s a trait he doesn’t think a lot of people see in him.

“For a lot of people that know my story, I would not be here if I hadn't put the work in,” he said. “There's no way starting at 16 [years old] that I'm supposed to be here. But as long as you put the work in — trust the process — it's going to end up paying off.”

Joel Embiid set out to help Africa at United Nations General Assembly

At the assembly, Joel Embiid wanted to do a lot of listening. He strived to learn from the array of leaders around him. But he also offered insight and potential solutions for how to use the business of sports to benefit his home continent.

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“My big emphasis has been to try to help as much as possible, try to push because I believe in us. I believe in Africans,” Embiid said at Semafor's The Next 3 Billion conference. “We have the talent, but we need help.”

Growing the game of basketball among the youth is an area of focus for Embiid, who recognized the advantage that American kids have had from playing the game at early ages. The 76ers superstar understands how fortunate he was to have a chance to play it, even if he began at age 16. His inclusion in the assembly and in meetings with leaders from various African countries is a big step toward affording those chances to more and more children from his native land.

“Being from Africa and seeing what we all go through and having been lucky to have this opportunity to be sitting on the stage and to make it at this level,” he said, “[I] just felt like I had to do it.”

Embiid said that Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri has been a mentor to him. They took part in the Earthshot Innovation Summit together and attended a dinner hosted by Bloomberg on Monday, where Embiid said they discussed issues facing Africa and potential solutions. The 76ers center sees NBA figures like Ujiri, fellow Cameroonian Luc Mbah a Moute, Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo as great leaders who grew the game in their home countries. He has long aspired to be a luminary in that way — and understands that now, he can.

“I sometimes get mad at myself because I'm like, ‘I wish I could have done this sooner.’ But then again, I feel like everything happens for a reason,” Embiid said. “I'm at the stage of my life where I'm 30 years old, I had time to build myself up and make sure that I was in a position where I could make some big impact — and that's really my dream. I want to have as much impact as possible, especially on the continent of Africa.”

Embiid's desire to give back to his communities stems from his late brother, whom his son and his initiative are named after. He reflected deeply on the type of person his brother was when he was asked about him at the block party event. Arthur was “someone that cared about everybody,” the 76ers superstar said.

Embiid's rise to NBA stardom has given him the platform to help spark and lead meaningful change. In memory of his brother, he's setting out to be a good role model for his son by providing for the communities that have always had his back.