Skip to content

Embiid: I want to spend career with 1 team like Kobe, Duncan, Dirk

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports / Action Images

Joel Embiid plans to Trust The Process for a long time.

Though it's still very early in the up-and-coming star's career, he has his sights set on spending the entirety of it with the Philadelphia 76ers.

"I want to be Kobe Bryant. I want to be Tim Duncan. I want to be Dirk Nowitzki," Embiid told NBC Sports Philly's Molly Sullivan.

Championships and personal accolades aside, all three of those players had Hall of Fame-worthy careers, which they spent exclusively with one franchise. Nowitzki is the only one of the bunch who's still playing, with the Dallas Mavericks big man set to host Embiid and the Sixers on Saturday night.

Embiid was drafted No. 3 by Philly in 2014, but sat out the first two years with foot injuries. Entering last season, after finally overcoming those setbacks, he declared he'll play 20 years in the league and went on to have a stellar - but injury-shortened - rookie campaign that convinced the team to ink him to a five-year, $148-million max extension.

The Process is so far averaging 20 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 blocks, and a steal in 27 minutes per contest this year for the 1-4 76ers.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox