The Sixers center is working to return to form as he recovers from his second knee surgery in 14 months. He spoke with ESPN about coming back too soon from injury, his friend Jameer Nelson suggesting therapy, his history with James Harden, and more.

That was the biggest takeaway from Dotun Akintoye’s phenomenal Joel Embiid feature that ran on ESPN on Wednesday morning. The enigmatic Philadelphia 76ers superstar provided rare access and vulnerability talking about the ups and downs of his NBA career in the type of longform piece that rarely exists in today’s media landscape.

Joel Embiid has developed a reputation as a troll. But this aspect of the big man has persisted since his college days, as his coach recalled a hilarious story from his time at Kansas.

Philadelphia is the hardest team to project in next season’s Eastern Conference. If healthy, they are legit title contenders — but “if” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. Paul George has had offseason knee surgery.

Even his most painful grief has been thrown in his face. At the start of Embiid's rookie season in 2014, his 13-year-old brother Arthur was hit by a truck and killed. The day Arthur died, Embiid ignored a series of phone calls. When he finally answered, it was terrible news.

For all his talent, Joel Embiid has yet to deliver on the promise of his potential. At 31, questions continue to surface about whether he can truly lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a championship.

But as Embiid explained in a new profile from ESPN's Dotun Akintoye, those who lean into the "narrative" about him being a playoff dropper are missing context. They seem to think he's the only star player capable of a rough night now and then when an elite defense is specifically game-planning for them:

"That's my fault. I'm a piece of s—t" - Joel Embiid on the first thought that went through his head after he learned of his brother's death originally appeared on Basketball Network.

The Philadelphia 76ers had a team meeting last season in November in Miami. During the meeting, Tyrese Maxey called Joel Embiid out for being late to team events.