Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid has just been introduced as a starter for the newly-formatted All-Star Game. His head coach, Brett Brown, has something to say on the matter:
Indeed, the Cameroonian center has endured a lot so early in his career that his perseverance is no longer questioned.
Embiid underwent surgery in less than two months after declaring for the 2014 NBA Draft. He sustained a broken navicular bone in his right foot, which was supposed to take him away from the court for four to six months.
But when he was drafted No. 3 overall by the Sixers, it was soon found out that the injury would rule Embiid out of the 2014-15 season. His injury woes continued for so long that he was even labeled as a wasted pick.
Embiid didn't step on an NBA court until the 2016-17 season, where he played only 31 games. But everybody was starting to witness the injury-riddled center's skill and hard work. Last season, he averaged 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game.
Fast forward to today and Embiid already has a $148 million designated rookie scale maximum contract extension with the Sixers. He is also joining the likes of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and James Harden for the All-Star Game on Feb. 18 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
It's already impressive that Embiid is joining the ranks of these franchise players, especially considering everything he has been through in the early years of his career.
What Brown has said about his All-Star player is simply accurate.
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