Joel Embiid believes the arrival of LeBron James has reinforced the expectations surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers, with the longtime franchise star making it clear that winning has become his central priority.
James joined Philadelphia this summer on a two-year minimum contract with a player option for the second season, joining Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown on a revamped roster. James said he came to Philadelphia to help Embiid win his first NBA championship.
“To have him say that it kind of validates not so much what I’ve accomplished but the way my peers might think about me,” Embiid said of James’ comments. “I’m at the point of my career where I need to win.”
Embiid also connected the pursuit of a championship to the city he has represented throughout his NBA career.
“Between everything that’s happened, that would be a good ending for the city of Philadelphia,” Embiid said. “And they deserve it.”
The 76ers are coming off a 45-37 season that ended with a sweep against the New York Knicks in the conference semifinals. Philadelphia subsequently made major changes, acquiring Brown from the Boston Celtics and signing James while also adding Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Embiid acknowledged that putting together a new group capable of competing for a championship will take time.
“The biggest hurdle that we have is how quick can we all get together,” Embiid said. “Last couple teams that had won a championship like it’s hard to put a team together after one year and be like, go do it.”
“It’s not impossible. It’s been done before, but it’s gonna take everybody to be able to accomplish that goal.”
Embiid also reflected on his history with Brown, who spent years competing against Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference before joining the 76ers.
“I’ve had a lot of battles with him,” Embiid said. “Even when we came back down 3-1 against them last year, he took the challenge of guarding me.”
“He knew he had no chance of getting a stop but I guess the other guys couldn’t do it,” Embiid added. “He knew before, but you still gotta try and find out.”
Embiid enters his 11th NBA season after averaging 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 38 games during the 2025-26 campaign. He has averaged 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists across his career while earning seven All-Star selections and winning the 2022-23 MVP award.
