Joel Embiid is the focus of another Players’ Tribune article, a story published this morning titled “The Only Way is Through.”

It’s an intriguing read, and Embiid starts by admitting that he almost walked away from basketball in 2014, not as a result of his injuries, but because of the death of his brother Arthur.

Joel on that:

I was only able to go back home for a few weeks for his funeral. When I came back to Philly, I kept rehabbing, trying to get better… but I was in a really bad place. With Arthur gone, I felt like I had lost my purpose in life. I really just wanted to quit the game and go back home to Cameroon to be with my family. And, you know, it’s not like a movie where someone sat me down had some conversation with me, or I picked up a basketball and all of a sudden everything was O.K.

I really had to look inside myself to find that joy again. Every single morning when I woke up, I would tell myself that I had a choice. I could give up, or I could keep trying to take another step forward. I really had to remind myself why I loved the game in the first place.

Embiid continued by explaining the emotions he showed after the game seven Toronto loss, noting that he “wanted it” for the city and his family. He says he used Kawhi Leonard’s buzzer beater as summer motivation.

He then ends the story talking about his game, and the expectations placed on him as a player, asserting that he won’t change the way he plays. Notably, he talks about the recent (constructive) criticism from Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley in this section:

I got nothing but love for the legends of the game like Shaq and Charles. So I respect what they’re saying about my game. But I’m never going to be the kind of traditional big like Shaq was in the 90s. You can’t go down to the post every single time down the floor and have success in this league. Not in 2020. Not with the way the game has evolved. Not with the way teams double-team now. You have to be able to space the floor and pass the ball and get buckets all over the court.

Above everything, I’m a student of the game. That’s the only way I was able to pick it up in such a short amount of time. You can’t just be a Big on the block anymore. You need to be a basketball player.

I agree with that. And Philly’s post-up numbers are not hurting, seriously. They post up more than anybody in the league, and with the funky way Ben Simmons plays the point guard position, Embiid is going to be floating around more than other NBA bigs. It is what it is.

But it’s a great story, worth a read.

Here’s the link again: