Joel Embiid Shares His Hurt Over Losing Friendship With James Harden After Trade

Add as a preferred source on Google

Joel Embiid recently shared his feelings about the breakdown in communication with James Harden, a former teammate at the Philadelphia 76ers. The two players had formed a promising partnership during their time together, showing potential as a championship-winning duo. In the 2022-23 season, Embiid averaged 33.1 points per game, earning him the MVP award and his second consecutive scoring title.

During the same season, Harden led the league in assists with an average of 10.7 per game. Despite their individual successes, the Sixers faced challenges in the playoffs. They managed to sweep the Brooklyn Nets in the first round but were eventually defeated by the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Harden's departure to the Los Angeles Clippers marked another abrupt exit of a star player from the team. This move followed similar exits by Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons. Additionally, head coach Doc Rivers was dismissed after that season. Embiid expressed disappointment over Harden's silence following these events and his subsequent trade.

Embiid emphasised the importance of perseverance for the Sixers rather than restarting each season. "I kept going back to it, the continuity," he told ESPN. He believes that when a team has potential, it should build upon it instead of starting anew every year.

Reflecting on his relationship with Harden, Embiid shared his frustration: "No one knows this, but even James [Harden] is not talking to me." He added that being perceived as 'that guy' can lead to difficult situations where others might assume he influenced decisions like trades or firings.

Embiid feels hurt by assumptions that he played a role in Harden's departure. He stated, "I won the scoring title. You won the assists title. We had a pick-and-roll that was unstoppable." For Embiid, losing such relationships is painful when he believes he did nothing wrong.

He also mentioned his stance on team decisions: "I always told myself I will never be responsible for someone losing their job, someone getting traded, someone getting fired." Embiid prefers not to be involved in decisions about signing or trading players.

The situation highlights ongoing challenges for both Embiid and the Sixers as they navigate team dynamics and strive for success amidst changes within their roster and leadership.