National Basketball Association

Joel Embiid hopes to win an NBA title 'in Philly or anywhere else'

Updated Jul. 17, 2023 1:01 p.m. ET

Joel Embiid has made it clear that he wants to win an NBA championship. Whether that comes as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers remains to be seen.

The reigning MVP made an eyebrow-raising comment about his possible future with the 76ers when speaking with Maverick Carter at the Uninterrupted Film Festival.

"I just want to win a championship," Embiid said when asked what's next from him. "Whatever it takes. I don't know where that's going to be, whether that's in Philly or anywhere else."

The comment from Embiid came as a surprise to many, as he hasn't spoken openly about leaving the 76ers, who drafted him in 2014. While Embiid missed the first two seasons of his career due to injury, Philadelphia has been one of the league's top teams since the center has consistently been in the lineup over the last six seasons.

Embiid has obviously been a big reason for that, being named an All-Star in each of the last six seasons and winning MVP this past season. However, the 76ers have yet to make it to the Eastern Conference finals during Embiid's time there.

Embiid and the 76ers were up 3-2 in their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Celtics and were even winning in the fourth quarter of Game 6, which was in their home arena. But their offense cratered down the stretch, scoring just five points in the game's finals six minutes, allowing the Celtics to pull away and force a Game 7. Three days later, the Celtics blew out the 76ers in Game 7, a game that Embiid scored just 15 points on 18 shots.

That loss was the end of Doc Rivers' time in Philadelphia with the 76ers firing the coach and hiring former Raptors coach Nick Nurse to replace him. It also might have been the final game in a 76ers uniform for Embiid's co-star, James Harden. The 2018 MVP opted into the final year of his contract but reportedly has requested a trade to move elsewhere, despite Embiid's public pleas for him to return.

All of that has led to speculation on Embiid's future in the City of Brotherly Love, with some insiders speculating if he could want out of Philadelphia in the near future. FOX Sports NBA writer Yaron Weitzman, who wrote a book on the 76ers during Embiid's early seasons with the team, believes the star center's recent statement carries some weight.

"Embiid is not someone who just says things," Weitzman wrote on Twitter. "His statements are always purposeful."

Embiid, 29, is still under contract, holding a player option for the 2026-27 season. But, of course, he could always request a trade prior to then.

There is one thing that seems to be clear though about Embiid's future, and that's whatever decisions he makes are championship-oriented.

"I just want to have the chance to accomplish that. I want to see what it feels like to win that first one, and then you can think about the next one. It's not easy," Embiid said. "It takes more than one, two or three guys. You've got to have good people around you. Like myself, every single day, I work hard to get to that level so I can just make it happen.

"Every single day I'm working toward that goal. That's what my mindset has always been."

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