Joel Embiid is just one of the many foreign-born NBA players that have a big impact on the league today. Though Americans like LeBron James and Stephen Curry may still dominate the sport from a marketing perspective, the growing international presence is a big part of the NBA’s overall growth. That was evident earlier this week, as the Sixers and Celtics played in London, and in the other international exhibits the league has put on recently.
Yahoo Sports had a long look at the young international talent the NBA has seen in recent years, with Kristaps Porzngis, Joel Embiid and others interviewed about the evolution of the sport on the international stage.
One of the most interesting sections came from the Sixers big man, who looked back on his long journey to the NBA. Now finally healthy, Embiid can take the time to think about what he wants to accomplish as a Sixer.
What’s interesting is that Embiid said he wasn’t sure he could make it big in the NBA until he played his first game, noting how at Kansas the attention was fully on Andrew Wiggins.
“Truthfully, I didn’t know until I actually started playing my first game in the NBA. Back in college, it was all about Wiggs and then I kind of went under the radar. I got to the league, I ended up sitting out two years,” Embiid told Yahoo Sports. “People have always been in my ear, talking about how great I was going to be. They noticed the comparisons to Hakeem and all those great centers, but I think it took me to my first NBA game to figure out I had a chance.”
Now that’s made a place for himself in the league, Embiid says he sees himself becoming as big a star as the biggest names in the sport.
“I want to be that guy. I want them to look at me the way they do guys like LeBron or Steph,” Embiid told Yahoo Sports. “I feel like I’m, like, right there. I just need to stay healthy and keep playing. But I feel like I’m right there. But I embrace it and I love it. I feel like if I put in the work and stay healthy, I think I have a chance.”
Staying healthy is the name of the game for Embiid, who has still yet to finish a full season, but the signs are so encouraging in Philadelphia these days that it’s hard to doubt him when he says the goal is to be as big as LeBron and Curry.
