Joel Embiid will finally be on the court for the 76ers in the 2024-25 season.
But Shaquille O'Neal is far from impressed, believing the Philadelphia star has lingering issues that will keep him from having a ring at the end of his career unless he makes some changes.
Embiid missed the team's first nine games, six of them due to a management issue with his left knee, and the 76ers were fined $100,000 for “contradictory” statements regarding his health, but he missed three more games. The game was suspended for an altercation with a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist. .
Embiid, who finally returned to the court in Tuesday's 111-99 loss to the Knicks, struggled mightily, scoring 13 points on just 2 of 11 from the field and committing two turnovers.
After Embiid fell behind in the first half, O'Neal beat the 76ers' big man on TNT's halftime show.
“That was the fear I had for Joel Embiid,” he said. “You arrogantly declare, but I'm not going to play back-to-back. I'm not hurt but it hurts. I'll come back when I want to.
“If I told you that, I'm sure you'd come home even more energetic. If you were 0-for-3, you might have been 0-for-15. But you know what everyone would say.'' Hey, Shaq isn't playing well, but he's playing aggressive.'' The plan they have is not working. That's not all, I say this with all due respect. Joel Embiid will never win a championship until he gets his heart and attitude right. ”
Embiid admitted after the game that he was certainly “rusty” early on.
“The first five minutes were rough,” Embiid told reporters. “After that, I thought, okay, I can do whatever I want in practice; [a] scrimmage. But when it comes to games, it's a different story. It's okay. ”
The struggling 76ers are currently 2-8 and will face the Cavaliers on Wednesday, but Embiid will miss this game if he does not play in back-to-back games.
