Joel Embiid Tops Unfortunate Salary List After Earning $2.7M Per Game During Injury-Plagued 2024–25 Season

No one really questions the talent Joel Embiid brings to the NBA. On his day, he can be one of the best in the league and is already the face of the Philadelphia 76ers franchise. The problem, however, is that he barely plays, as injuries have ravaged his career in recent years. Not that he’s gone unpaid during that stretch, though.

According to a new report from NBA University on X, the 31-year-old baller earned the highest salary per game in the entire league for the 2024-2025 campaign. Embiid, who played in just 19 games, made a massive $2,706,102 every single time he suited up. That’s not per week or per month. That’s per game. The man got paid like no other, even though fans barely got to see him on the floor.

Embiid dealt with knee issues and nagging lower-body problems that just wouldn’t go away. Philly tried to manage his workload, but the setbacks continued to pile up. Before long, he was shut down for most of the year. Watching from the bench became the story of his season, especially after it was revealed that he underwent arthroscopic surgery in April.

When Embiid did play, he wasn’t the Embiid everyone expected. The dominance wasn’t there. His numbers dipped. He averaged 23.8 points per game, which would be great for most players, but for him, it was underwhelming. This is the same player who has led the league in scoring before. He didn’t look like that guy anymore, and after this latest round of injuries, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll ever be that guy again.

76ers fans know how much Embiid means to their chances. They still have Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, and Quentin Grimes, but without Embiid, they are just not the same team. He’s generational, a seven-footer with great post play, an elite midrange game, and strong passing ability.

So far, there’s no official timeline for Embiid’s return either. Training camp updates have been quiet. The Sixers front office is making it clear they want him fully healthy before he steps back on the floor. Nobody is rushing this. Not after last year, which seemed eerily similar to this past offseason.

That patience makes sense. The Sixers have seen what happens when Embiid tries to push through pain. It doesn’t end well. With his injury history, there’s no point in risking long-term damage. The team is basically looking at the 2025-26 season as a reset button.

The money side of things is what makes this whole situation wild. Fans see $2.7 million per game and shake their heads.

Imagine getting paid that much while sitting out 63 nights in street clothes. It’s the business side of the NBA, and Embiid just happened to benefit from it last season. For NBA fans, they can forgive him a bit since he helped Team USA get the Gold in Paris, but for Sixers fans in particular, it’s rough.

It also puts pressure on Embiid. That kind of money comes with big expectations. The City of Brotherly Love is waiting for the MVP version of Embiid to come back. The one who drops 40 points and dominates both ends. Anything less, and those salary numbers will feel like a joke.

So now all eyes are on the Sixers and their star center. The team is keeping things low-key. The fans are hoping for a comeback. And Embiid himself has to prove that last year was just a blip, not the start of a decline. The story isn’t over, but it needs a big next chapter.