In almost every sport, teams keep their legends close to current players—allowing them to offer guidance on professionalism, wellness, and, of course, performance. After all, they know what it takes to succeed. That’s what made them legends in the first place. Several NBA teams follow this practice. Just look at how closely Reggie Miller is tied to the Indiana Pacers during this year’s NBA Finals. The ones fighting for the badge today listen closely to people like Miller.
Advertisement
However, some teams and their stars—like the Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid—seem to be lacking in this aspect of their culture. At least according to Philly legend and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley.
The 76ers have long been a team that flirts with postseason success, only to fall short year after year—and lately, things seem to be getting worse. In the 2024–25 season, they finished 13th in the Eastern Conference. And Barkley thinks he knows why.
In a recent call-in interview on The Mike Missanelli Show on Philadelphia-based 97.5 The Fanatic, Barkley revealed that Embiid has never reached out to him (or any other legend, probably) for advice. “Well, I’ve never actually had a conversation with Joel Embiid either,” Barkley said.
“I don’t know Doc’s situation, but I think I may have said hello to Joel Embiid twice in my life. Just hello, but we’ve actually never had a conversation,” he added.
That visibly shocked Missanelli and his co-host, considering Barkley played eight seasons for Philadelphia from 1984 to 1992 and had his No. 34 jersey retired on March 30, 2001. Embiid, by contrast, has spent roughly 11 seasons with the Sixers, becoming a seven-time NBA All-Star, five-time All-NBA Team member, three-time All-Defensive Team selection, two-time NBA scoring champion, and the league MVP in 2023. With those credentials, it’s hard to understand why the Sixers haven’t encouraged a relationship between two of their greatest franchise icons.
But this is nothing surprising. The 76ers, for some time, have been an organization that struggles to connect its past greats with the stars of the present.
Between 1984 and 2024, Philadelphia changed ownership three times—from Harold Katz to Comcast-Spectacor, and now to Josh Harris’s group. Perhaps under Harris’s ownership, the franchise hasn’t made enough of an effort to foster relationships between veteran legends like Barkley and Julius Erving, and current cornerstone Embiid.
That disconnect reflects poorly on the organization. Then again, this is the same franchise that forced former president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo to resign after his wife admitted to operating anonymous Twitter accounts that criticized players and leaked internal team information.
When asked whether Embiid could benefit from connecting with him or Erving, Barkley said firmly: “One hundred percent because I think all young NBA players should talk to veteran guys because … Moses Malone is the most important person in my NBA career because he made me lose fifty pounds and made me a great player. I think you can only benefit from talking to Dr J or myself, Andrew Tony, Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones, and] Clement Johnson.”
Barkley made a strong case: speaking with legends is a rite of passage for NBA players. He believes those conversations help players grow, both on and off the court. Embiid now enters what could be the most important season of his career—if he can stay healthy. Maybe Barkley, with his trademark stubbornness, should be the one to reach out first.
The NBA is the biggest basketball league in the world. Here, egos often grow alongside salaries. So the real question is: who will make the first move—Barkley, Embiid, or even Dr. J?
