Joel Embiid’s work ethic is back under the microscope after a comment about his time with Team USA resurfaced ahead of Philadelphia’s new-look season.
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On the “Game Over” podcast, Max Kellerman brought up a claim about Embiid’s approach during Team USA’s 2024 Olympic run. The claim did not come from Kellerman’s own experience around the team. He attributed it to former NBA player Brian Scalabrine, who had discussed what he was hearing about Embiid’s work habits.
Jeff Teague then offered a similar assessment on “Club 520.” “Him saying he’s not the hardest working superstar, I think we all know that,” You can tell by his health, he’s probably not the most dedicated person to the craft. Joel Embiid is one of the most talented players ever… if Embiid never got hurt, he’d be the best center of all time.”
Kellerman’s claim centered on Team USA’s 2024 Olympic environment.
“Embiid when he was on the Olympic team, I thought this was super interesting. Scal [Brian Scalabrine] was talking about when the best players get together, everyone’s got the cars, watches, and money. The way they really compete and impress each other is by who works the hardest,” Kellerman said. “And that was not Embiid at all. It was the opposite for Embiid, according to Scal, what he was hearing.”
Rich Paul pushed back on the claim during the same “Game Over” episode.
“No, I’ve heard nothing but great things about Joel this summer. I heard he’s in the best shape he’s been in. He’s been healthy all summer. So what Scal is saying, normally, yeah, that is the case. I’ve been around a ton of USA teams. So yeah, but I don’t think so in this case,” Paul said.
Teague agreed with the broader comparison but kept his praise for Embiid intact.
“Joel Embiid is one of the most talented players ever,” he said. “If Embiid never got hurt, he’d be the best center of all time.”
“I think he work hard,” Teague added. “I know how hard it is to be really good at basketball for him to be at the top at one point in time and be the MVP of the league.”
Teague’s standard is LeBron James.
“To be around all those greats and not being the hardest worker don’t mean you don’t work hard. You just don’t work as hard as LeBron,” Teague said.
That comparison is important because LeBron James and Kevin Durant have long been held up as extreme examples of NBA preparation. Falling short of their standard does not automatically mean a player does not work hard.
At the same time, Teague pointed to Embiid’s health as part of why he reached his conclusion. Embiid has dealt with a long list of injuries throughout his career, but that history alone does not prove anything about his work ethic.
Embiid has played through major injuries and previously said, “I’ve played with meniscus tears, fractures to my eye, fresh off knee surgery… I put my body on the line every single year.”
The Numbers Make the Debate Harder to Ignore
Embiid’s availability is one reason questions about his preparation continue to come up. Across his 12-year NBA timeline, including the two seasons he missed before making his debut, he has played 490 regular-season games and missed 494.
The number looks different when measured only from his 2016-17 debut onward. Embiid has played 490 of 630 possible games since entering the NBA, giving him a 77.8% availability rate over that span.
His 2024 Olympic run also provides important context. Embiid started at center for Team USA during its gold-medal run and scored 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the team’s 95-91 semifinal comeback against Serbia. No Team USA coach, executive or player publicly backed Scalabrine’s claim about Embiid’s practice habits.
Questions about Embiid’s conditioning are not new. Earlier reporting documented concerns around his conditioning during his recovery from foot surgery, while later criticism has focused on his stamina and availability. At the same time, Embiid has invested heavily in his training and recovery and has repeatedly played through major injuries.
Embiid has also made clear that staying healthy for the postseason matters more to him than individual recognition.
“I would sacrifice my Most Valuable Player award to get a fully healthy run in the playoffs,” he has said.
Philadelphia enters the 2026-27 season with Embiid, LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey forming the core of its new-look roster. With James and Brown now joining the team, Embiid’s availability will draw even more attention as the 76ers try to turn their talent into a championship run.
Teague’s criticism, then, is narrower than the headline version of the debate suggests. He sees Embiid as an elite talent who works hard, but not necessarily at the level of LeBron or Durant. Kellerman’s original claim remains based on what Scalabrine said he had heard, while Paul’s account of Embiid’s summer points in the other direction.
The 2026-27 season will give Philadelphia the clearest answer yet: whether Embiid can stay healthy and turn another season of expectations into a full run.