Joel Embiid has taken the NBA by storm this season, but how he got here is even more impressive. We look back at his journey to the Association
The year was 2009, the location Yaoundè, Cameroon. 15-year old Joel Hans Embiid picked up a basketball for the first time, totally unaware of just how far it would take him.
A volleyball player for the majority of his childhood, Embiid had never considered basketball until he discovered Hakeem Olajuwon. Inspired by his grace and elegance on the court, Joel decided he’d give hoops a shot, and the journey began.
Embiid was always a raw product, even in his days at Kansas. This first manifested itself when he began to participate in various basketball camps held in the local Yaoundè area. Because he was so unacquainted with the game, he’d frequently bounce the ball off his foot, trip over a screen, and allow passes to slip right through his hands.
But even without the necessary polish, Embiid was impossible to ignore. His uncanny footwork, quickness, outside jump shot and shot-blocking were something to behold. Even at the ripe age of 15, the Cameroonian offered a skill set so seldom seen in players his size that he couldn’t help but draw comparisons to his idol, Mr. Olajuwon.
And it just so happened that while holding one of his Cameroonian basketball clinics, fellow countrymen and NBA player Luc Richard Mbah a Moute picked up on the aforementioned talents. Blown away by the immeasurable potential, Mbah a Moute became Embiid’s mentor. Under his guidance, Joel made the life changing decision to move to the United States to pursue basketball.
Just a year removed from having his sights set on becoming a professional volleyball player in Europe, Embiid now found himself halfway across the globe, immersing himself in a language he didn’t speak, all to pursue a professional career in a sport he still barely knew.