Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid credits James Harden with helping to facilitate one of the most successful periods of his career. However, it does not appear that the two are close now.
In a new profile by Dotun Akintoye of ESPN, Embiid spoke warmly about Harden, and said he wished the version of the Sixers built around them had been given another chance to succeed. He added, however, that he and Harden are no longer close, potentially because Harden believes Embiid pushed him out of Philadelphia.
“No one knows this, but even James is not talking to me,” Embiid said. “That’s the part I don’t like about being ‘that guy,’ because it puts you in the middle of those situations. Because if you ask James, he probably believes I had something to do with him not being here. And I’m just like, ‘I won the scoring title. You won the assists title. We had a pick-and-roll that was unstoppable.'”
It is easy to say now, but Embiid seemed to be glad to be rid of Harden when the Sixers traded the guard prior to the 2023-24 season. It is possible that it took Embiid some time to realize how good he had it with Harden, especially since he has struggled to reach the same heights since.
Harden averaged 21 points and 10.7 assists per game in his only full season with Philadelphia. Embiid averaged 33.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while winning MVP, but the team lost in seven games to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs.
