How Joel Embiid Earned All-NBA in 2021-22 | 'I'm Going to Be Joel'

On Tuesday, May 24, the NBA announced that 76ers All-Star Joel Embiid earned All-NBA Second Team honors.

Embiid, the 2021-22 NBA scoring champion, is now a four-time All-NBA selection.

An All-Star starter each of the past five seasons, Embiid finished the 2021-22 campaign with season averages of 30.6 points (career high), 11.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists (career high), 1.1 steals (career high), and 1.5 blocks in 33.8 minutes per game. He played 68 games and was the only player in the NBA to rank inside the top-5 for both scoring and rebounding.

This season, Embiid joined Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Allen Iverson as the only 76ers to ever capture the NBA scoring title.

Embiid also led the NBA in 30-point games with 40 such performances, five more than the next closest player. His 158 total clutch points (clutch time is defined as minutes when the scoring margin is within five points with five or fewer minutes remaining in a game) were the most in the league.

The six-year veteran finished the campaign with 46 double-doubles, tied for the fourth-most in the NBA, and the most for Embiid since his 58 during the 2018-19 season. His 41-point, 20-rebound game against Indiana on April 9 was the lone 40-20 game in the league this season.

With a career-best 77 total steals, plus 99 blocks, Embiid ranked as one of just four players in the NBA with at least 70 and 90 in those categories. He registered seven games with at least three steals and six games with at least four rejections.

The Words

Joel Embiid

"It's a blessing," Embiid said prior to his fifth All-Star Game in 2022. "Always coming in here. Can't ever take it for granted, so I'm trying to enjoy it as much as possible. And, obviously, having my family here and Arthur being part of it is huge for me because they're really the reason why I'm here and I'm doing so well. So I'm excited and it's special for me."

Tobias Harris

"It's an honor really," Harris said about being Embiid's teammate. "I'll tell my kids one day that I was playing with Joel Embiid. When they ask who's the best player I ever played with, I'll say Joel Embiid."

Tyrese Maxey

"I'm not even surprised at this point. He's phenomenal. I try extremely hard not to take it for granted... Down the road, a long, long time from now, I want to tell people I was part of something extremely special. He's amazing."

"It was amazing to watch," said Maxey after Embiid's 50-point outing against Orlando. "I was messing with him before the game, 'Who are you going to be tonight? Shaq? Dirk?' He was like, 'I'm going to be Joel."

Georges Niang

"He's a furious competitor. Joel would do anything for this organization and his teammates, and I think he showed that. He showed up every night and was willing to put himself out there, try to win, and bring this organization a title."

The Performances

Jan. 3 vs. Houston

Embiid recorded the third triple-double of his career with game highs of 31 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Rockets. Defensively, he also registered two blocks to pass Hall of Famer Moses Malone for 10th on the 76ers all-time blocks list (Note: Embiid moved into ninth place on this list later in the season).

Jan. 19 vs. Orlando

In just 27 minutes of action, Embiid posted a career-high-tying 50 points in a home win over the Magic. Embiid shot 17-for-23 overall, 1-for-4 from 3, and 15-for-17 from the free-throw line to hit the 50-point mark for the second time in his career. He completed his double-double with 12 rebounds. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the fewest minutes played in a 50-point, 10-rebound game in the shot-clock era.

Feb. 11 vs. Oklahoma City

In a home win over the Thunder, Embiid tallied 25 points, 19 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and a team season-high five blocked shots in 35 minutes. The outing marked the second time in Embiid's career that he totaled at least 25 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks, and the first of two he posted this past season. He was the only NBA player to do so even once.

Feb. 12 vs. Cleveland

Embiid collected his second triple-double of the season and became the first 76ers player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968 to record at least 40-10-10 in a game. Across 33 minutes in a 10-point home win over the Cavaliers, Embiid tallied 40 points, 14 rebounds, a season-high-tying 10 assists, and three steals.

Apr. 3 at Cleveland

On the road against those same Cavaliers in early April, Embiid delivered the second of his 25-15-5 performances to help the 76ers clinch a playoff spot for the fifth straight season. The Sixers' big man led all players with a game-high 44 points, 17 rebounds, and five blocks. Embiid (three times) and Hall of Famers Charles Barkley (three times) and Moses Malone (five times) are the only players in 76ers history to have multiple games of 25-15-5.

Apr. 9 vs. Indiana

This was the only 40-20 game in the NBA this season: 41 points and 20 rebounds from Embiid in 37 minutes of play. Sixteen of his points came in the third quarter alone and 20 rebounds marked his season-high total.

Related Links

A Closer Look at Matisse Thybulle's Second All-Defensive Season

Joel Embiid Named January Eastern Conference Player of the Month

Embiid Delivering Another All-Star Season for Sixers in 2021-22 | "He's Been a Monster"

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