"I think it's grossly unfair, some of the criticism that he gets" - Brett Brown believed Joel Embiid gets ridiculously slandered for no reason
He rolled out of bed with a fever, wrapped in layers of sweat and limped through the tunnel with the weight of Philadelphia on his back.
The cameras caught him yawning on the bench. His face looked heavy. His legs looked worse. And still, Joel Embiid suited up.
This was Game 4 of the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinals between the 76ers and Raptors, tied 2–1, pressure turning into poison — and Brett Brown, then Philadelphia head coach, had no intention of letting the public forget what his star was actually going through behind the curtain.
"He was trying to do whatever he could to represent his organization and play basketball for the Philadelphia 76ers," Brown told reporters at the time. "I'm kind of disappointed. He gets shaken around to me too much. He's trying to get out of bed with a significant temperature and come represent the organization."
Always something wrong
Injuries had already defined the early chapters of Embiid's career. By 2019, the big man had played only two full seasons — his first two years wiped away by a broken navicular bone and complications that pushed back every timeline.
In that playoff run alone, he was battling knee tendinitis against Brooklyn and flu-like symptoms against Toronto. He played through both. The stats were inconsistent, but the pain was the opposite.
Embiid had 33 points in Game 3. In Game 4, he barely moved. It was the kind of swing only someone fighting his own body could have. Brown, never one to criticize players publicly, didn't hold back, but the critics who seemed to forget Embiid was even human.
"It's not ideal," he said postgame. "You wish he were at shootaround, you wish he were in film sessions, but he's had a temperature for the last few days that's kept him in bed. And so, take whatever you want out of that answer."
The Sixers would go on to lose that series in seven on a quadruple bounce that's still looping somewhere inside the Wells Fargo Center (Toronto still loves you, Kawhi Leonard) — and the image of Embiid walking off the floor in tears turned into a meme. But behind that meme was the same thing that's followed him every year since. Something is always wrong.
In 2023–24, Embiid played just 39 games before suffering a meniscus tear in his left knee. In 2024–25, he appeared in only 19. The numbers he's managed in limited action are elite — MVP-level production without the MVP-level health — but the same conversation keeps surfacing.
Is he reliable?
Is he too fragile?
Can he hold up in May?A body that won't let go
There's never been a question for most about how badly he wants to play. It's about whether his body lets him. He's fought through back tightness, meniscus repairs, orbital fractures, ligament sprains and stomach viruses. The 2019 playoff run was a pattern beginning to form.
That season, he averaged 27 and 13 while playing on one good leg. Two seasons ago, he dropped 70 on San Antonio and looked like the most dominant force in the league before being sidelined again. It's never about talent. It's never about heart. It's always about whether he can stay on the floor.
"He's trying to play for us," Brown said back in 2019. "I think it's grossly unfair, some of the criticism that he gets. I don't understand that."
Six years later, the sentiment still holds up. Maybe even more now. The slander has only evolved. Every time Embiid limps, someone questions his leadership. Every time he's out for more than a week, someone brings up his past. But the truth is, he's done everything he can to fight for a team that's spent a decade banking on his presence.
And maybe that's the part everyone forgets. But we still have to wonder if next year is going to be any different.This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
23 minutes ago
- USA Today
Fox Sports analyst offers a direct but confusing opinion about Eagles QB Jalen Hurts
Fox Sports analyst Danny Parkins says Jalen Hurts has been 'propped up by the system' .@DannyParkins tells Eagles fans the TRUTH about Jalen Hurts At this point, it has become obvious that the promise can't be kept. No longer will you be told that further energy won't be given to a Jalen Hurts discussion about where and how he should rank. He is simply too fascinating. The Philadelphia Eagles are much too big a brand. The theories about his brilliance are all over the place. So, every time, just when one thinks he or she is out, they are pulled back into conversations about his impact and, of course, where he ranks among his peers. Recently, FS1's Colin Cowherd took a day off. Breakfast Ball's Danny Parkins hosted the Herd. What did he do? Well, of course, he talked about Jalen Hurts. "Jalen Hurts having nine different play callers over nine years, spanning back to college, speaks incredibly highly to his football character and his football intelligence. Jalen Hurts playing, not one but two, not good but great, Super Bowls obviously is incredibly valuable. No one would deny any of it". Having said all of that, here's where things become hard to follow. If that's the theory he believes in, how on Planet Earth is he, as Parkins states, the NFL's tenth-best quarterback? Where does that idea come from? For answers, we dig a little deeper. Parkins' argument isn't much different from a tired angle that has been expressed far too often. "It's totally reasonable to say that the guy who was 22nd in the NFL in pass attempts last year is propped up by the system in which he plays in and the guys around him." Much is overlooked in that theory. First, Jalen Hurts isn't the only Philadelphia Eagle whose passing game production has declined. A.J. Brown was targeted 97 times, catching 67 of those for 1,079 yards and one touchdown—his lowest numbers since joining the team. DeVonta Smith was targeted 89 times, securing 68 receptions for 833 yards, which also marks a career low for him. What caused this decline? Philadelphia committed to Saquon Barkley to lead its rushing attack, resulting in a remarkable 2,000-yard season for him, which stands as the best in franchise history. DeVonta Smith was targeted 89 times and hauled in 68 grabs for 833 yards. Again, all were career lows. What happened? Philly committed to Saquon Barkley leading its rushing attack. The result was a 2,000-yard season for him, which doubles as the best in franchise history. Here's another way of stating that. Everyone sacrificed something for the good of the Eagles' offense this past season. The goal was winning, and Philadelphia achieved it frequently. They notched a franchise-record 14 regular-season wins. They won their second Vince Lombardi Trophy. Hurts was often asked to throw less because that was the game plan, not because he wasn't skilled enough to do so. Parkins listed his top ten quarterbacks. They are as follows: If you're confused, don't worry. It's completely understandable. The criteria for building these rankings often change while the ranking is being constructed. Look at the ranking. Think about everything you have heard Danny Parkins say. Jalen Hurts outplayed Patrick Mahomes during two Super Bowls, and he won one of them. Seven guys on this list haven't won their first yet. Hurts is clutch in big moments. Justin Herbert and Baker Mayfield aren't. Hurts has never lost to Jayden Daniels in a game where both started and finished. Plus, Daniels hasn't won a Super Bowl, nor has he been to one. Let's not look at this through rose-colored lenses. If you want to place Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, and Jackson ahead of Hurts, even if someone were to disagree with the ranking, they could understand the argument, but don't you dare place him behind Herbert, Stafford, Daniels, Goff, and Mayfield. That's just disrespectful. It's especially disrespectful if you are using terms like clutch, winning, and Super Bowl. When has Mayfield won without great talent? Where is Goff and Herbert's signature win during the postseason? Wait! Isn't Herbert winless in two postseason attempts? Didn't he have a big lead in one of those games? Seriously everyone... What are we doing with these rankings?
New York Times
24 minutes ago
- New York Times
Can Quentin Grimes and the Sixers find a deal that works for both?
Every dollar matters for the Philadelphia 76ers, a 24-win team caught in a financial crunch. But every dollar matters for the Sixers' most important current free agent, too. Can they and Quentin Grimes meet in the middle? Grimes, a two-way shooting guard who balled out last season for the tanking 76ers after arriving in a February trade, is one of four restricted free agents who remain on the market. The Athletic recently polled 16 people in NBA front offices (including no one from Philly's), asking them what they would deem a 'fair' contract for each member of the four: Grimes, the Golden State Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga, the Chicago Bulls' Josh Giddey and the Brooklyn Nets' Cam Thomas. Advertisement Results for Kuminga and Giddey have already published. Now, it is on to Grimes, a 25-year-old who averaged an efficient 21.9 points in 28 games with the 76ers last season after a midseason trade. Most people polled for the story considered Grimes within shouting range of the midlevel exception, which is worth $14.1 million in starting salary. Twelve of the 16 proposed average annual salaries between $12 million and $16.7 million. One front-office staffer who is especially high on Grimes suggested a four-year, $75 million deal, the most total money and the highest average annual value ($18.8 million) anyone in the poll mentioned. On the other side of the spectrum was an executive who considered Grimes worth just $30 million over three years, $10 million in average annual value, the lowest number in the poll. The executive said he couldn't properly contextualize Grimes' scoring outburst at the end of last season, when the injured 76ers were losing intentionally in the hopes of keeping their first-round pick, because he 'played on a bad team.' Others who suggested salaries lower than the midlevel exception mentioned market conditions as to why Grimes, a strong on-ball defender and 3-point sniper even at his worst, may not receive a salary commensurate with his end-of-season numbers. 'The way the cap (environment) is now, why would you spend $20 million on Quentin Grimes when you can get (Bucks guard) Gary Trent (Jr.) for a minimum?' said one executive, who proposed a three-year, $40 million contract for Grimes. 'We shouldn't just sign young players because they're young. … You've got to believe Grimes is gonna develop into your starting backcourt with (Tyrese) Maxey.' The 76ers are loaded with young guards. There's Maxey, already an All-Star at age 24. There's 21-year-old Jared McCain, the rookie of the year favorite until he suffered a season-ending injury in 2024-25. Coming in this season is the No. 3 selection in this past June's NBA Draft, V.J. Edgecombe. Advertisement If the Sixers consider Grimes a starter, they can pay him like one. If they worry he could lag behind those three, then they would be more hesitant to hand him a briefcase of cash. One person in the poll suggested a two-year deal (for $24 million). Eleven people proposed three-year deals. The total money for those were $30 million, $36 million, $39 million, $40 million, $42 million, $45 million (two), $45.7 million (which is the exact worth of the midlevel exception), $48 million (two) and $50 million. Four people mentioned four-year contracts: One for $60 million, one for $64 million, one for $72 million and one for $75 million. The restricted free agency experience, rarely a fun one, is even damper than usual this summer. The little cap space that was once out there has evaporated. Meanwhile, leverage isn't easy to find for players in Grimes', Kuminga's, Giddey's and Thomas' situations. Since they are restricted free agents, their 2024-25 teams have right of first refusal, meaning if Grimes, for example, signed an offer sheet with another franchise, the Sixers could match it to bring him back for the same price. It makes rival organizations hesitant to tie up cap space with restricted free agents. Meanwhile, sign-and-trades are difficult because of a niche rule in the collective bargaining agreement called base year compensation, which makes the math in matching salaries far more complex than usual. Yet, whether he's a 20-point scorer or not, Grimes can play. By his second season, he was a starter on a New York Knicks team that won a playoff series. He drained 3-pointers and consistently guarded the opposition's best perimeter player. He's bounced around since — to the Detroit Pistons and then Dallas Mavericks and eventually to the Sixers, who let him cook after most of their top performers left the court late in the season. Advertisement As Grimes' usage climbed in Philadelphia, his above-average efficiency maintained, not normally the case when a young player ratchets up his responsibilities. He ran more pick-and-rolls, attacked the basket and controlled his squad's offense more than ever while in Philly. 'There are not many Swiss Army knife wings out there that score it as efficiently, defend, pass or rebound like he does,' said the front-office staffer who suggested the four-year, $75 million contract. 'He might not be elite at any one thing, but (he's) very good at a lot of them.' But even if the 76ers agree with that assessment, they have a problem. The cheapest salary a four-year, $75 million contract could start at is $16.7 million. As of now, Philadelphia is approximately $3 million below the luxury-tax threshold. Any Grimes contract, including if he picked up his qualifying offer of $8.7 million (which would send him back to Philly on a one-year deal and allow him to enter unrestricted free agency a year from now), would drive them past it. But this contract would blast them into the first apron and only approximately $5 million short of the second apron, which the team is hoping to avoid. The Sixers may overflow with talent but they also have the largest delta between their possibilities for the upcoming season. In a best-case scenario, a former MVP in Joel Embiid looks like himself again; a renaissance season from nine-time All-Star Paul George emerges; and a young stud in Maxey continues to improve. There is additional talent to fill in the gaps. In a worst-case one, Embiid and George, who just underwent another surgery, can't stay on the floor and the team combusts, just as it did in 2024-25, when expectations were high and results were the league's most disappointing. The Sixers finished 24-58. It will be difficult to justify such an expensive roster if they falter again this season. Advertisement For that reason, people polled about Grimes' contract concentrated on keeping him tradable. If the Sixers need to break it down, if they need to flip him for a center because Embiid misses time, maintaining him either on a short-term contract or on one with a salary below the midlevel exception could be an emphasis. 'I like Quentin Grimes. He's a very good player. I would present him with two options: You can have a three-year, $48 million deal or a four-year, $60 million,' one executive said. A three-year contract of that value would crest barely above this season's MLE, which can be used as a trade exception (meaning the Sixers could hypothetically trade Grimes into someone else's midlevel exception without having to match salaries). His 2026-27 salary would clear that season's MLE, too. But the four-year, $60 million deal could keep both seasons under it. 'You say to him, 'Do you want money or do you want longevity?'' the executive said. 'And if he says both, you say, 'We can't offer both.'' Starting-caliber players tend to make more than this. In 2025-26, 22 point guards, 28 shooting guards, 21 small forwards, 25 power forwards and 22 centers will earn more than the MLE. One participant in the poll suggested a salary barely above the midlevel, just to signal that Grimes is worth it. 'It's the same ballpark as what (Caris) LeVert and Nickeil Alexander-Walker got in average annual value,' he said. So now, like the rest of his restricted counterparts, Grimes waits, hoping to make the money his performance dictates he deserves and hoping to avoid the contract his lack of leverage could plop in front of him.
New York Times
24 minutes ago
- New York Times
Tracy McGrady joining NBC Sports as NBA studio analyst
NBC Sports continues to acquire Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers for its upcoming NBA coverage. The network announced Tuesday that it hired Tracy McGrady, the seven-time NBA All-Star and a member of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Class of 2017, as an NBA studio analyst for both NBC and Peacock. He joins fellow Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony and Vince Carter on the studio show alongside hosts Maria Taylor and Ahmed Fareed. Michael Jordan was also announced as a special contributor to NBC Sports' upcoming coverage. Advertisement The thought behind NBC's NBA studio hires, according to someone briefed on the coverage philosophy, is to have enough on-air talent for scale. The company has a significant amount of NBA inventory arriving this year, including three consecutive nights of studio programming starting next February. There will be no set lineup for the studio; NBC plans to mix and match. NBC's other on-air hires include Jamal Crawford, Reggie Miller and Grant Hill. Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle are the main play-by-play voices. McGrady has worked in broadcasting for ESPN (where he appeared on 'The Jump') and TNT Sports, where he occasionally appeared on 'Inside the NBA.' He played 16 seasons in the NBA, including with the Toronto Raptors (1997-2000), Orlando Magic (2000-2004) and Houston Rockets (2004-2010). The Athletic named him in 2021 as one of the NBA's 75 Greatest Players. 'Basketball has given me everything, and I've always just tried to give that same energy back,' McGrady said in a statement. 'I hope I can bring the same passion, insight and love for the game that's driven me since I was a kid, to all who tune in to watch on NBC and Peacock. I couldn't be more excited to join this team alongside so many others I admire.' In July 2024, the NBA signed an 11-year media rights deal with NBC/Peacock, ABC/ESPN and Amazon Prime Video beginning in the 2025-26 season. The NBC/Peacock coverage begins on Tuesday, Oct. 21, on Peacock. NBC and Peacock will air coverage on Tuesday nights beginning in October. Big picture: NBC Sports will air up to 100 regular-season NBA games, including sometimes four games a week for portions of the season. After its 'Sunday Night Football' coverage concludes, NBC Sports will launch 'Sunday Night Basketball' across NBC and Peacock, which has a shot to hit as a successful franchise play, given Sunday still represents the most watched night on linear television.
