Since 1983, Philly’s trophy cabinet has been collecting more dust than silverware. A little flicker of hope lit in 2014 as Joel Embiid was selected by the 76ers with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. The 20-year-old kid from Cameroon felt lucky to be in Philadelphia, but it has been ten years since then, and the team has won a total of… zero championships. Today, Embiid stands in the line of fire, his presence doing nothing to change the franchise’s fate.

“I’ve accomplished everything [individually],” Embiid said in the fall. “But there’s one thing missing, which is to win a championship.” Last year, while Philadelphia was unable to witness his best on the court, Team USA managed to capitalize on his skills during the Olympic semifinal against Serbia and rival Nikola Jokic in Paris. The player scored 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting and also helped his team in a 15-point comeback. And so the 76ers were hoping they would see something similar in the NBA playoffs. No one really thought the torn meniscus in his left knee would hold him back.

But soon, his knee started swelling, and there was immense pain. He missed workouts and sat out of early-season games. There were some days he would feel better and complete a workout, and other days, his left knee would swell once again. This continued, and at one point, he missed 15 games, returned on February 4 looking good, and recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a win over the Mavericks. Unfortunately, just three weeks later, Embiid didn’t look like himself in the loss against the Celtics. Well, Gillie and Wallo were guests on ‘Million Dollaz Worth of Game‘ by Paul George and seemed tired of these inconsistencies.

“Hey, listen, man, Joel, you played in the Olympics. We did not hear about you missing no m———— practices or nothing. No games or nothing. You know what Philadelphia fans don’t give a f— about? The Olympics. F— the Olympics,” they pointed out. “It looked like, damn, you over there with LeBron and all that. You running. Jumping high as s—. I ain’t seeing you limp or nothing, man. After the Olympics were over, it was f——  you had plenty of f—— time to rest. Now the season starts. You f—— limping.” Now, in the NBA, a hooper’s greatest strength is his availability for his team. But for Joel Embiid, this has been the biggest drawback.

“We’re the ones that’re giving you $300 f—— million, bro. And we’ve been trusting the process for f——, like, ten years now. The f—— Process? F—- The Process. I’m done with trusting this s—. It’s like, bro, we gotta get it done, bro.”

Joel Embiid signed for 4 years at $213 million in 2023. Then came September 2024. The 76ers threw in 3 more years for $192 million. That’s over $300 million locked in across 5 years.

This $300 million feels like a waste to Gillie and Wallo. And to some extent, even Paul George didn’t defend the matter as he, too, might know they’re not bluffing. Anyway, Philly fans had more reasons to forget about the Sixers’ disastrous 24-58 run in the 2024-25 NBA season. But somehow, NFL’s Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles turned the script in the 2025 LIX Super Bowl.

How Jalen Hurts saved Paul George’s 76ers and Joel Embiid from public wrath!

Thirteenth in the Eastern Conference and a season to forget, the Philadelphia 76ers have no reason to remember their downfall; Except to learn their lessons and come back stronger, with or without Joel Embiid. Meanwhile, ‘The Process’ played only 19 games after missing several first-phase matchups. Then a season-ending knee trouble pushed him out of the league, thus bringing his 2024-25 run to an abrupt end. In the last two seasons, Embiid has played a combined 58 games because of the persistent knee injury.

However, Philadelphia’s wounds found some relief as the Eagles took down the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX in a 40-22 run. So, Gillie and Wallo said, “The reason you ain’t getting to see real Philly fans is because the Eagles won. And they still celebrating that s—. And they forgot about the Sixers. If they win the one — oh God — Sixers woulda had it rough. Yeah. They would’ve gone in.”

Meanwhile, Joel averaged 23.8 ppg, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in the 19 games that he played wearing the usual Sixers jersey. There were hopes that the tables would turn this season. Did they? No. And now, as the 76ers marinate themselves in their prolonged offseason, trades and salaries need to be dealt with. And given how the front office continues to revolve their plans around Embiid, it’s most unlikely that he’ll be traded.

Well, ‘The Process’ promised gold but delivered ghosts. For over a decade, Philly gave everything. Time. Money. Faith. Yet, the heartbreak keeps looping like a cruel rerun. Now, with injuries stacking and patience thinning, the future feels fragile. Still, the city waits—maybe foolishly—for the storm to pass and a banner to rise. What do you think?