Joel Embiid broke Allen Iverson’s 76ers franchise record, but what is it?

While it’s fair to say, that Joel Embiid is a divisive player when it comes to sentiment, there’s no denying that he’s one of the best in the league when it comes to facts. Having recently surpassed one of Philly’s truly legendary players in points and in less time to boot, the 76ers’ big man is silencing the critics.

Joel Embiid passes Allen Iverson to make 76ers history

If you missed the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday night game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, then you missed Joel Embiid writing his name into the franchise’s history book. With a relatively routine driving layup just five minutes into the first quarter, Embiid got fouled, scored the resulting free throw and reached 10,000 career points. Embiid made the mark in 373 games, which is five games less than the 378 which Sixers legend, Allen Iverson needed to register the same amount, meaning Embiid now holds the franchise record for the least number of games needed to hit 10k - he’s the 13th player to do so in such a short time. For a bit of perspective, Charles Barkley did it in 445. Fittingly, the play that got Embiid to the milestone, was yet another reminder of the rare breed that he is. That’s to say, there really aren’t many big men in the league who are as technical, when it comes to ball handling, as Embiid.

But wait, there’s even more to Joel Embiid’s effort

While it’s definitely worth noting Embiid’s latest achievement when compared to Iverson and Barkley who went before him, the thing that truly separates Philly’s present-day talisman, is the fact that he didn’t just get to 10k in less time, he did so having missed the first two and a half seasons of his career due to injuries. Indeed, one has to wonder what his tally would look like, had he been able to play during those periods. At any rate, Embiid is now just the eighth active center in the league to reach 10,000 points and it’s worth noting that he did so in 100 games less than any of the other seven.

Truth be told, this likely won’t be the last record that we see the 28-year-old set. At 7-foot and 280-pounds Cameroonian native is as dominant a player as you can find in the NBA and even more so when fully fit. Quite frankly, he’s the most complete center in the game today, who is capable of manhandling his marker in the post, handling the ball when needs be and sinking a shot from beyond the arc if the occasion calls for it. On defense, we don’t have to tell you that’s he’s as good at blocking, as he is in the paint - his All-Defensive selections speak to that fact. Ultimately, this is a player who has finished as runner up in MVP voting for the last two consecutive seasons. If you ask us, it’s only a matter of time before he wins it.