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Joel Embiid’s Journey To One Of The NBA’s Most Dominant Big Men

By Ryan Jackson

Oct 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid walks from the dressing room for warmups against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid walks from the dressing room for warmups against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The High School Days

Joel Embiid’s first year playing for Montverde Academy was still peppered with the nooks and crannies that took place back in Cameroon. His first coach, Kevin Boyle, admitted that Embiid’s teammates got a good laugh out of his first informal practice. His unpolished, and sometimes even klutzy, play stood out when he was around his his high school teammates, most of whom had been polishing their game for the better part of a decade.

"Boyle then went on to gather his players at center court and told them “Laugh all you want, but in five years you’re going to be asking him for a loan, because he’s going to be worth about $50 million.  You have no idea how good that kid is going to be.”  He knew he had unearthed a gem."

However, Montverde wasn’t the place where he’d leave his mark, as a lack of playing time resulted in the decision to transfer. In retrospect, it was probably the right choice. The only way for any player to see strides in his development and perfect the fundamentals is through experience, something he wasn’t getting much of at Montverde.

By 2012, Embiid was touted as a five-star recruit. He committed to Kansas, one of the country’s recruiting powerhouses, the fall before his final high school season.