The meniscus tear came on the back of foot injuries in his first two seasons. This, coupled with the death of his younger brother at the time, made him consider retiring from the game of basketball. The Philadelphia 76ers star lost his sibling Arthur in a car crash in Cameroon in October 2014.

Embiid told the media after the 71st All-Star game how hard those initial years were in the NBA. He said:

He added:

Joel Embiid is the frontrunner in the 2021-22 MVP race

There is no denying that Joel Embiid has put the disappointing events of his past behind him. He is leading the league in scoring this season while putting up a career-best 29.6 ppg before the All-Star break.

Embiid has never won the scoring title in his six-year NBA career.

It is Joel Embiid’s dominant play that currently has the Philadelphia 76ers in the third position in the Eastern Conference standings.

Embiid is also averaging 11.2 rpg and a career-best 4.5 apg while shooting 36.9% from deep for the 2021-22 season. He earned his fifth All-Star selection on the strength of these numbers, which have also put him in pole position in the MVP race.

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