Embiid hasn't spoken with Harden since 76ers departure
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In a feature with ESPN’s Dotun Akintoye, Philadelphia 76ers centre Joel Embiid discussed a number of topics including his relationship with former teammate James Harden, who was traded from the Sixers to the Los Angeles Clippers after one and a half years in Philadelphia.
Embiid and Harden found success in their limited time together. In their only full season as a duo in 2022-23, Embiid averaged 33.1 points and 10.2 rebounds en route to winning his first NBA Most Valuable Player award and his second scoring title. Harden led the league in assists per game (10.7) and finished third in total assists despite playing just 58 games.
However, the pair will most be remembered for their collapse in the Eastern Conference semifinals, where the team lost a 3-2 series lead to the Boston Celtics and dropped Game 7 112-88.
Now with Harden in Los Angeles, Embiid told Akintoye that he and Harden are no longer on speaking terms.
"No one knows this, but even James [Harden] is not talking to me," Embiid said. "That's the part I don't like about being 'that guy,' because it puts you in the middle of those situations. Because if you ask James, he probably believes I had something to do with him not being here. And I'm just like, 'I won the scoring title. You won the assists title. We had a pick-and-roll that was unstoppable.'"
"It hurts when you feel like you haven't done anything wrong," he continues. "When you think you have a relationship like that with somebody ... you lose a lot."
Prior to the trade, Embiid said the two were close and wishes the team would have opted for continuity following the 2023 season instead of trying to rebuild the roster core once again.
"I kept going back to it, the continuity," Embiid said. "When you feel like you have something, instead of building up on it, you just start over. And that's been like that every single year."
Embiid played just 19 games last season due to a knee injury and the 76ers struggled in his absence, finishing 13th in the Eastern Conference with a 24-58 record. He underwent arthroscopic surgery in April and hopes to be ready for the 2025-26 season