NBA Superstar Joel Embiid recently made an appearance on the Draymond Green podcast, opening up about why he decided to take up “The Process” as his nickname.
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The last time the 76ers have been part of the NBA Finals was in 2001, a tad over two decades ago. That was when Allen Iverson single-handedly took them to the grand stage, eventually losing to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in 5 games in a lopsided finale.
Right after that final’s appearance, the 76ers found themselves in the worst position possible in the NBA. The 76ers were just good enough to make the playoffs. But they weren’t good enough to compete for anything more than that. Enter new GM Sam Hankie.
The first-time GM began Hinkie began what he called “The Process,” a way to stacking draft picks, by trading away any veteran, and also by losing — a lot. The first year, the Sixers won 19 games. The following two seasons saw 18 and 10 along the win column, respectively.
However, the NBA didn’t like the method…mainly because it was working. As a result, they forced him out. But the term “the process” still stuck even after he left. It was because their star man Joel Embiid decide to use it as his nickname. But why exactly did he do so? Read on to find out…
Joel Embiid explains why he adopted “The Process” nickname.
Many felt the GM Sam Hinkie was wrongfully let go by the Sixers. Their superstar center Joel Embiid was certainly one of them. The evidence? His adopted nickname, obviously. The MVP big man recently made an appearance on the Draymond Green show, where he opened up why he choose the nickname.
Via Draymond Green Show –
“There was a couple of things. First thing was, I got drafted by Sam Hinkie. And you know, he’s the reason why we were able to draft me and have these many picks and all that stuff. I got to the league and my second year, (Hinkie) was basically forced out, I don’t wanna say names but you know I’m outspoken so I’ll say it: the NBA. I don’t know who, but I think that’s what it was. They basically forced him out and I didn’t like it.”
“I knew they didn’t like The Process and then I was like ‘you know what? I’m gonna piss some people off. So that’s why I started pushing the agenda about you know what? I’m gonna support my mans because he drafted me, coming out of college before I got drafted he believed in me.”
In typical Joel “Troel” Embiid fashion, he decided to take the mock the situation. And in the process (pun intended), he choose to take a shot at the NBA. However, there is more to it than meets the eye. It was also a way of paying respects to the man who drafted him and gave him an opportunity to be in the league.
Now that they have acquired James Harden, and with Embiid playing at an MVP level, they look all set to make a finals run, and it looks like Process might just finally work out after all. Only time will tell.
