Philadelphia Sixers superstar center Joel Embiid has always been outspoken. Never one to hide his emotions, the big Cameroonian recently let it all hang out in a recent interview with Shams Charania of The Athletic.
With Embiid in the thick of a highly contested MVP race with reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic and former two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the conversation has switched to Embiid widening his lead and poised to finally win that elusive award that’s avoided him the last couple seasons.
Joel Embiid Opens Up About Playing The Villain
Embiid also talked how he knows he’s not a well-liked player, and, get this, he’s more than OK with that. And for that he has learned to embrace a sort of villain role, one that he calls “Troel.”
“People always thought that I was crazy when I said this — I really believe that I’m not well liked,” he said. “And it’s cool with me, that’s fine. I’ll be the bad guy. I like being the a—hole anyway. I like the being the underdog. So that’s fine with me.”
If you’ve ever watched Embiid play you can see that he truly does embrace that role of being the guy no one likes. He often plays to the crowd in road games, taunting them after a big basket and letting them know to buckle up because it’s more where that came from.
Embiid also thinks his unpopularity, to an extent, has played a role in him not winning MVP either of the last two seasons, when his numbers screamed “MVP.”
Embiid Says Criteria Is Constantly Changing: Goal Post Shift?
Embiid’s biggest issue in the MVP race has always been his health and how many games he misses each season. Despite being in the thick of the race the last few seasons, he’s missed ample time. This season he’s played in 61 of a possible 74 games, averaging a league-leading 33.3 points 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists. But it’s his dominance on the defensive end that sets him apart, averaging nearly three blocks per game.
But in Embiid’s opinion, the criteria to win the award is forever changing.
“The criteria does change. If we want to talk about the last three years since I’ve been in the running for it, the first year it was that I didn’t play enough games. Last year, I came back, I played enough games, I led the league in scoring, and obviously Nikola deserved it and he won it. But then again, he won as a sixth seed in the West. And then this year I’m leading the league in scoring, I’m doing all these things defensively … I should be making an All-Defensive team too. I don’t care, but every year it’s something. And when you add analytics into it, which don’t make no sense.
Embiid Says Championships Will Earn Respect
If Embiid finishes the season leading the league in scoring he’ll be the first center to do in back-to-back seasons since 1971 and 1972. During the interview, he also talked about how important winning an NBA championship is to his legacy. He also says his focus has shifted from MVP to winning a title
“So for me, I also took that approach where I was like, the last few years, I could have probably had one MVP or whatever, and it didn’t happen. I just said I’m not going to focus on that. I’ve gotten to the point where people are used to me and people are putting the same type of expectations on me. The only way I’m going to that respect is by winning a championship.
“When you worry about the right things, which is winning basketball and doing whatever it takes — whatever happens, happens.”
The Sixers haven’t won an NBA championship since 1982. They haven’t had a player win MVP since Allen Iverson in 2001. Embiid hopes to change all of that, if not this year, before his career is over in Philly. For now, Embiid is content with busting loose every night and dominating the competition until it all comes together for a talented Philly team.
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