Joel Embiid talked to ESPN about coming back too soon from injury, his history with James Harden, and more

PHILADELPHIA — After a disastrous season that saw the 76ers finish with a 24-58 record, their fans were relying on the offseason to offer a beacon of hope. Things looked brighter when the Sixers selected guard V.J. Edgecombe with the third pick in the draft.

However, they dimmed when the team announced that their nine-time All Star Paul George is hurt — again. The 6-foot-8 forward underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Monday.

But one person who has managed to stay silent this offseason is former league MVP Joel Embiid — until now.

The Sixers center is working to return to form as he recovers from his second knee surgery in 14 months. He spoke with ESPN about coming back too soon from injury, his friend Jameer Nelson suggesting therapy, his history with James Harden and more.

Here are five things we learned from ESPN’s profile of Embiid on Wednesday.

‘Damned if you do, damned if you don’t’

In January 2024, Embiid injured his left knee in a loss to the Warriors when Golden State forward Jonathan Kuminga fell on his leg. Embiid underwent meniscus surgery a few days later.

He missed the next two months before returning for a late playoff push. The Sixers won their final eight games and defeated the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament before advancing to a first-round series against the New York Knicks.

Embiid averaged 33 points, 10.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists, but the Sixers fell to the Knicks in the six-game series and Embiid said he worried that he returned to the court too soon from his injury.

“It’s basically damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” Embiid told ESPN. “Because if you don’t play, then, you know, there’s this whole narrative. ... I never cared about the ‘soft’ comments. All I cared about was the team and my teammates. I never wanted to feel like I was quitting on them. And obviously, that goes back to the whole thing in therapy about not wanting to disappoint people. Ultimately, I guess I made those decisions. And then you got to live with it.”

‘100 percent committed to therapy’

After the injury in 2024, Embiid said that loved ones started to notice he was struggling both physically and mentally. One of those loved ones happened to be a former NBA player, Jameer Nelson, who has since been promoted to assistant GM of the Sixers.

Nelson recommended a therapist for Embiid, who initially did not agree with the idea. “I was like, ‘There is no chance. I don’t believe in none of that,’ ” Embiid told ESPN.

Instead of ignoring Nelson’s recommendation, Embiid started to go to therapy, making it part of his routine.

“To this day, I’m 100 percent committed to it,” Embiid told ESPN. “But I will not sit here and say that my belief is ever going to be 100 percent in therapy. Feeding into the pressure of you got to play, got to go out there, can’t let people down and this and that, that’s probably one of the reasons why I’m in this position now.”

‘A cry for help’

In February 2025, Embiid acknowledged that he likely needed another surgery on his left knee. Before the team could break the news, ESPN’s Lisa Salters reported it during an ABC telecast of the Sixers’ 135-127 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Salters said that Embiid told her in order to repair his knee, it “will likely take another surgery and a long recovery period, something he didn’t have after the initial injury last February.”

This reportedly was a surprise to the Sixers.

“If you don’t want to listen to me, then I have to find something else, to make sure that I’m going to be listened to,” Embiid told ESPN. “When I told Lisa that, I think it was a cry for help. ... It feels like everybody refuses to acknowledge what’s actually going on.”

‘I know who leaked it’

Three months before Embiid discussed the need for surgery with Salters, details of a closed-door team meeting were leaked to the media. The meeting took place after the Sixers’ horrendous 2-11 start. Sources said guard Tyrese Maxey confronted Embiid for being late to team events.

“I know who leaked it,” Embiid told ESPN. “But I’m not going to — the past is the past. The one thing I’ll say is, it’s hard being around people that do those sorts of stuff. That goes back to the trust thing. Once you cross that — you can’t expect me to be part of a team meeting again. That’s just not going to happen.”

‘James [Harden] is not talking to me’

This wasn’t the first time Embiid found himself in the middle of controversy with a teammate. In fact, with all the drama in the Sixers’ recent history, Embiid believes they should “make a show” or “write a book” about his time in Philly.

In nine seasons with the Sixers, Embiid has had different co-stars to help him out — including 11-time All-Star James Harden. Harden was with the Sixers for two seasons before he demanded a trade and subsequently agreed to a two-year, $70 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Embiid says the two haven’t been in touch since.

“No one knows this, but even James [Harden] is not talking to me,” Embiid told ESPN. “That’s the part I don’t like about being ‘that guy,’ because it puts you in the middle of those situations. Because if you ask James, he probably believes I had something to do with him not being here. And I’m just like, ‘I won the scoring title. You won the assists title. We had a pick-and-roll that was unstoppable.’ ”