Report: Joel Embiid, 76ers front office had ‘tension’ this season

According to NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN, Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers front office had “tension” this season. 

The Sixers thought Embiid needed to play more, while Embiid felt like he needed another surgery on his left knee. 

Tension between Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers front office has become something to “keep in mind” this offseason, per @ShamsCharania

(Via @FirstTake) pic.twitter.com/851FHgyyJx

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) April 3, 2025

Embiid will undergo arthroscopic left knee surgery next week. The one-time MVP appeared in only 19 games this season. He averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 44.4% from the field, 29.9% from beyond the arc and 88.2% from the free-throw line. 

Philadelphia signed Embiid to a three-year, $192 million extension in September 2024. Embiid is owed $248.1 million over the next four seasons.

A Kansas product, Embiid has career averages of 27.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He’s made seven All-Star teams, five All-NBA teams and three All-Defensive teams. 

If Embiid isn’t playing in February 2026, the Sixers could petition for a medical NBA retirement.

According to NBA insider Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Embiid was angry that details of a team meeting in which Sixers players called him out leaked to the public. 

The team meeting took place in November in Miami. 

“There was the team meeting in Miami in November in which fellow players called him out for his lack of professionalism, including comments from star teammate Tyrese Maxey, who specifically pointed to Embiid’s tardiness to team events,” Windhorst wrote. “While he has since patched up any lingering tension with Maxey, Embiid was angry that details of the meeting became public, sources said, and attempted to identify a possible leak.”

The Sixers drafted Embiid in 2014. Embiid missed the first two years of his career due to injuries. 

Philadelphia has never advanced past the second round of the playoffs in the Embiid era. Embiid has played with Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George.