BIG MAN, BIG MONEY: EMBIID AGREES TO $196-M EXTENSION
All-Star center Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers agreed to a multiyear contract extension on Tuesday.
While the Sixers didn’t disclose the contract terms, multiple outlets reported it is a fouryear supermax contract that will pay Embiid $196 million and keep him in a Philadelphia uniform through the 2026-27 season.
The 27-year-old Embiid has two years remaining on a fiveyear, $147.7 million maximum contract extension he signed on Oct. 10, 2017.
“Joel is the definition of elite—a role model in our community and a true MVP (Most Valuable Player)-caliber superstar on the court,” said Josh Harris, the team’s managing partner, in a news release. “His rare blend of skills, charisma and leadership has transformed this franchise. We couldn’t be more grateful and excited to continue watching him in a 76ers uniform.”
The National Basketball Association (NBA), meanwhile, is planning a Christmas feast for fans.
The Christmas Day schedule will feature a showdown between the star-studded Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers.
Christmas Day fare
Following a shortened offseason, the 2021-22 regular season is scheduled to begin Oct. 19 with two games, also showcasing the Nets and Lakers. The champion Milwaukee Bucks host the Nets and the Lakers will be visited by Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in a TNT doubleheader.
Other games on the Dec. 25 slate include the Atlanta Hawks meeting the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in a rematch of the Hawks’ first-round, five-game playoff series win, as well as Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks meeting Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.
The full schedule for the 82game season will be released Aug. 20.
A matchup between the Nets and Lakers is a chance for fans to decide who has the better “Big Three” as the game—if all are healthy—would showcase Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving against the LA trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the newly-acquired Russell Westbrook.
The 7-foot Embiid was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Sixers, but he missed his first two seasons because of surgeries on his right foot. He made the All-Rookie team in 2016-17 and was the runner-up in MVP voting in 2020-21. He is a four-time All-Star and a threetime All-NBA Second Team selection.