The question of what a healthy Joel Embiid would be like has now started to take shape as what the future looks like for injury-prone 7x All-Star. Among the ones making predictions was a former Boston Celtics star, who not only predicted the retirement time for Embiid but also made a bold claim against his chances at the biggest honor in the league. The prediction made could easily raise questions against the 2x Scoring champion’s place on one of the NBA’s top 5 lists.

As most fans would recall, Joel Embiid’s NBA career has been plagued by injuries. Whether it be the 2-season delay in his NBA debut itself or his more recent knee issues, letting him play just 19 games in the last season. The issues, though, stem from his torn left meniscus from the prior year; there’s no denying that Embiid’s health issues have been consistent. Case in point: the 7x All-Star has missed close to 300 regular-season games (excluding his two completely missed NBA seasons). Now, there’s no denying that Embiid has been impressive in the limited time he has been in the league. But that did not stop ex-Celtics star Jeff Teague from making a bold claim against Embiid’s Hall of Fame chances.

The conversation around JoJo started with Teague predicting 7x All-Star’s retirement time. “Just get your chicken, brother. He done after these three years for sure,” Teague said on the Club 520 podcast. A bold prediction, for sure, but then came even a more shocking one against Joel Embiid’s Hall of Fame chances despite his 7 All-Star appearances, 2 scoring titles, an MVP title, and other accolades.

“That boy ain’t never played 70 games… He might not make the Hall of Fame, bro…” Teague said. And let’s not forget NBACentral’s recent tweet that sourced Brett Siegel’s ClutchPoints report. “Embiid has struggled getting back on the court… things are ‘bad… (Embiid will) likely miss the start of training camp”. As per the reports, some execs are even claiming that the Philadelphia 76ers “regret their decision to extend” JoJo’s $193M deal. No wonder, there was some extent of agreement with Jeff Teague’s chain of thought on the Club 520 podcast.  Now, this assumption could easily raise questions about Joel Embiid’s place on the list of the top 5 highest-paid players.

HoopsHype recently put together a list of players with the All-time most guaranteed salary. With LeBron James and Stephen Curry securing the top two spots, respectively, Embiid stood 5th on the list. The top 5 spots being filled with HOF worthy talent, Embiid’s place could be a subject of question if his chances at the top NBA honor are already uncertain.

Why Joel Embiid in the Hall of Fame makes sense.

When Jeff Teague questioned Joel Embiid’s Hall of Fame chances, it sparked a debate that’s worth unpacking. After all, history has shown us that not every Hall of Famer needed a championship or even an MVP award to make it in. Think about Pete Maravich—his name still shines in the Hall purely because of his individual brilliance.

By that same measure, Embiid’s sheer statistical dominance and the accolades he’s already collected could easily earn him a spot, even if injuries were to cut his career short. But here’s where Teague’s point hits home. You can almost feel the frustration radiating from 76ers fans. They’ve seen the franchise bend over backward for Embiid—giving him the roster tweaks, the support, and the pieces he’s wanted. Yet, that elusive championship banner still isn’t hanging in Philly.

If that continues, the backlash could sting more than any injury ever has. And really, nobody wants to see another what-if story. If that label sticks to Embiid, it could cast a shadow over everything he’s accomplished so far.