76ers center Joel Embiid went from playing in his first game of basketball at 15 in his native Cameroon to NBA All-Star in less than 10 years, writes Clay Skipper for GQ.
Embiid was intrigued by the sport after watching the 2009 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic and seeing Kobe Bryant dominate.
Embiid wanted to be able shoot like that and to be noticed for something other than his height, which is what got him invited to a basketball camp by fellow Cameroonian and current NBA journeyman Luc Mbah a Moute.
Mbah a Moute guided Embiid to his former high school in Florida, where word spread about his raw talent and seven-foot frame.
Embiid then landed a scholarship to Kansas but soon got hurt. Despite the injury, he left for the NBA and became the third overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
“I’m really not an injury-prone player,” said Embiid. “I just had that one injury that took, like, two years.”
Since then, he has secured a lucrative contract and become an All-Star.
Read more about Joel Embiid in GQ by clicking here.
