Joel Embiid almost quit basketball

During the two years when Joel Embiid was injured, he seriously contemplated leaving the sport of basketball.

Joel Embiid is the rookie phenomenon center for the Philadelphia 76ers. He has proved all of his doubters wrong after two injuries to his foot which held him out for two consecutive season. Embiid is the clear frontrunner to win the Rookie of the Year award so that begs the question: Why would Embiid consider leaving everything behind that he worked so hard for?

Well during the two-year span when Embiid was on the sidelines his younger brother passed away. Embiid is from the country of Cameroon, so being that far away from his family during that time must have been difficult for the center.

Not to mention, he had two major surgeries to repair his foot and those take some time to heal. No one could have imagined that Embiid would dominate the league like he his, Not even Embiid.

In an interview with ESPN, Embiid explained how close he was to leaving the sport of basketball:

"You know, the two and a half years that I missed. I missed that, and I also lost my brother, so I was such in a bad place. I wanted to quit basketball. I just wanted go home, go back home, and just leave everything behind."

Embiid’s goal this season was to have fun. Enjoy the time that he has with his teammates and enjoy “The Process.”

It seems that the 76ers are certainly enjoying their season.

Although the 76ers currently sit at 13th in the eastern conference, they look like they found their identity through Embiid. The difference when Embiid is on the floor vs when he is on the sidelines is insane. With Embiid on the court, the 76ers have a 99.3 defensive rating. When Embiid is off of the court their defensive rating is 108.3, which is one of the worst in the league.

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Embiid’s impact is very clear to the anyone who watches the 76ers. If Embiid left the game, the 76ers would still be trying to find their identity.