James Harden won't speak to Joel Embiid anymore after ugly 76ers breakup

New York Post

4 days ago

Joel Embiid revealed he's had a falling out with James Harden since the pair's days in Philadelphia.
In an interview with ESPN, the star 76ers big man said he and Harden, who spent a season-and-a-half alongside Embiid before an ugly breakup with the franchise, are no longer on speaking terms.
'No one knows this, but even James [Harden] is not talking to me,' Embiid told the outlet. 'That's the part I don't like about being 'that guy,' because it puts you in the middle of those situations. Because if you ask James, he probably believes I had something to do with him not being here. And I'm just like, 'I won the scoring title. You won the assists title. We had a pick-and-roll that was unstoppable.'
Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts while on the court in the first half of game 4 of the Eastern Conference first round at the Wells Fargo Center, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Philadelphia, PA.
'It hurts when you feel like you haven't done anything wrong. When you think you have a relationship like that with somebody … you lose a lot.'
Harden was acquired by the 76ers at the 2022 trade deadline from the Nets for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks.
The move put the Sixers in the inner-circle of championship contenders, but the team disappointed in two playoff runs with Embiid and Harden, falling in the semifinal round in back-to-back seasons.
Despite early playoff exits, the Embiid-Harden pairing appeared to be a fruitful one, with the former winning the NBA MVP award in his only full season with the future Hall of Famer setting him up to score.
Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) warms up prior to game four of round one of the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Denver Nuggets at Intuit Dome.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After the 2023 playoff run, Harden became disgruntled with the franchise and 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey for the lack of a long-term max contract offer and requested a trade.
In August of that year, Harden called Morey 'a liar' and stated that he would 'never be a part of an organization that he's a part of' before he was dealt to the Clippers a few months later.
The nasty Philadelphia exit apparently ruined his relationship with Embiid as well.