The Philadelphia Eagles are struggling. They’ve now lost three games in a row — the latest a turnover-filled mess in overtime against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football.
Just eight months ago, Jalen Hurts was the MVP of Super Bowl LIX as the team ended a dominant season in dominant fashion. Today, the hot topic is whether the team should bench Hurts in favor of Tanner McKee, a 2023 sixth-round pick who’s made one NFL start and thrown a total of 45 passes.
Life comes at you fast.
It certainly
feels that way when discussing Joel Embiid. On May 2, 2023, Embiid was named the league’s MVP. On Jan. 22, 2024, Embiid set a franchise record by dropping 70 points in a game, and looked well on his way to repeating as MVP. But as we sit here on Dec. 11, 2025, fans are now pondering how the team can get out from under Embiid’s contract before his three-year extension even kicks in next season.
It’s a cold world.
It’s frustrating, no doubt. The injury report changes, the extended absences, the struggles when he’s sat out so long — as a fan, it’s surely difficult to see while exciting young players like Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe are leading the team to wins.
But if you’re frustrated by it all, just imagine how frustrated the guy going through it feels.
Embiid was the MVP of the league. While some idiots will try to degrade that award, it was earned. In the first 33 games of the following season, Embiid was averaging 36.0 points on 65% true shooting, 11.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.1 steals in 34.2 minutes per game. He would’ve been the first player since Wilt Chamberlain to average more than a point a minute for a season.
Imagine how different things could’ve been if Embiid didn’t play that night in San Francisco and Jonathan Kuminga didn’t land on his knee. Unfortunately, that’s what happened, and Embiid still hasn’t fully recovered from it.
He came back (maybe he shouldn’t have) for the end of the regular season and for a knock-down, drag-out series against the New York Knicks. On one leg and while battling Bell’s Palsy, which caused frequent migraines, Embiid averaged 33.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. He dropped 39 points in an elimination Game 6.
But Embiid gutting out injuries is nothing new. He’s been compromised in just about every playoff series of his career. That’s not to make excuses for some of his underwhelming performances — if he’s out there, he’s out there — but to point out he’s frequently put his body on the line for the organization.
He’s also done so while several teammates have let him down. Ben Simmons’ playoff struggles are almost mythical, culminating in The Pass in Game 7 against the Atlanta Hawks, which was the beginning of the end of Simmons’ tenure here (and sadly, possibly his career). James Harden was brilliant against the Celtics in Games 1 and 4 in 2023. In the other five games, he shot 16-of-63 from the field and was a no-show in Game 7. Embiid didn’t exactly light it up in Game 7, but he could’ve used a bit more help from one of the greatest offensive players of all time.
Coaches and the front office have also repeatedly hindered Embiid. Whether it was the way they handled his early injuries, the squandering of assets by Bryan Colangelo, the odd personnel decisions by Doc Rivers, the way the organization hasn’t protected him from himself with injuries or a million other things in between, it’s fair to say the team has let Embiid down way more than the other way around.
Of course, Embiid is not blameless. He didn’t always take the best care of his body when he was younger. There were moments where maybe he could’ve used better judgment when speaking to the media or on social media. He played through injuries he probably shouldn’t have. His performance on the court hasn’t always been perfect. He also has generational wealth for his family with his career earnings and his extension for all of his trouble.
But he’s a future Hall of Famer. No. 21 will hang in the rafters one day. He’ll go down as one of the greatest Sixers of all time. So, let’s maybe give him the tiniest bit of grace.
Again, the situation is frustrating. Most are ready for the next era of Sixers basketball. It’s understandable. Given the extent of his injuries, there’s a decent chance Embiid doesn’t get healthy enough to resemble the dominant player he was. There’s a chance he gets just healthy enough to at least make an impact. Though admittedly much less likely, there’s also a chance he can get close to his MVP self. None of us — even likely Embiid himself — knows for sure.
You can’t trade him. You can’t waive-and-stretch him this offseason and set the franchise back even more. There’s not much choice but to ride this out. It’s going to be rough sometimes, but Embiid has provided this city with unforgettable moments and sacrificed his body.
The world has become so reactionary. And we’re Philly — we love hard, we fight like hell and expect greatness. Perhaps the Super Bowl MVP and one of the greatest basketball players this city has ever seen have earned enough equity to garner goodwill.
