Joel Embiid Reveals How “The Next Lebron James” Became His Chance to Make It to the NBA: “I Was Using That Opportunity to Show Them What I Could Do”

Published 03/16/2022, 8:00 PM EDT

Whether it is LeBron James, Michael Jordan, or Kobe Bryant, they have all been a victim of comparisons. One such player is Joel Embiid. The MVP candidate was once referred to as the ‘next LeBron James’ owing to the similarity in their gameplay and their physicality.

Talking with Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, Embiid talked about how he used the LeBron comparisons to make his way to the NBA. According to him, he used all the hype people built around him to show scouts his gameplay.

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Joel Embiid on the LeBron James comparisons

LeBron James is undoubtedly one of the best players to ever play in the NBA. When a player is compared to someone like LeBron, it means he/she is surely going to be special. It is the same case with Joel Embiid. The Philadelphia 76ers star man is putting up insane numbers in almost every game, and is on his way to win the MVP title.

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During his college days, Embiid was compared to the likes of LeBron James. Speaking on the Draymond Green podcast, Joel revealed what it felt like. He mentioned how he used the hype around him to eventually make it into the NBA.

Embiid said, “One thing that people don’t know is I’m always gonna be so thankful for because when we went to college there was so much hype, so much attention. At that time they were like, ‘He’s the next LeBron James.’ Everybody is just coming to watch you, we had so many scouts and I was also using that opportunity to show them what I could do.”

Safe to say Embiid used the hype correctly, as he is one of the best players in the league currently. He is second in the MVP rankings, and is doing better than the man he was compared with, LeBron James!

Embiid vs LeBron: Head to Head

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LeBron and Embiid are two of the best players in the league currently. While one is struggling to take the Los Angeles Lakers above the .500 mark, the other is well on his way to the playoffs.

LeBron and Embiid have played each other 6 times, all in the regular season. The two have won 3 games each. During the games, LeBron averages 27.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists. On the other hand, Embiid averages 26.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. (Source: landofbasketball.com)

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Written by:

Abhinava is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor's in Journalism and Mass Communication. Abhinava has been following NBA for the past 6 years and is a huge fan of the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry.

Joel Embiid Reveals How “The Next Lebron James” Became His Chance to Make It to the NBA: “I Was Using That Opportunity to Show Them What I Could Do”

Joel Embiid on the LeBron James comparisons

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Embiid vs LeBron: Head to Head