Joel Embiid’s ‘Skinny’ Pics Leave 76ers Fans Dreaming of NBA Title – “This Man Looking Scary”

Joel Embiid is under pressure to remain healthy and perform at his best now that the 76ers are championship favorites.

Joel Embiid’s ‘Skinny’ Pics Leave 76ers Fans Dreaming of NBA Title – “This Man Looking Scary”

VJ Edgecombe and a 'slim' Joel Embiid (Image via Embiid/X)

After LeBron James joined the Philadelphia 76ers, many wondered whether his goal of winning more championships would be hampered by the inconsistent health of a certain Joel Embiid.

The latter has missed more games in his career than he has played in, and age is not in his favor. The running joke in the league is that the Cameroonian-American is the reason the NBA introduced the 65-game rule to prevent players from tanking.

When healthy, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the 32-year-old is one of the best big men in the league. The problem is that he has not played more than 39 games in each of his last three seasons.

The only time Embiid was healthy for an entire tournament was when he suited up with James and The Avengers to win USA Basketball another gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

Time and again, former players have been asking him to reduce weight so that his knees do not get stressed as much. Last season, he tried to drop weight and looked leaner.

However, an appendicitis operation, along with an incomplete knee recovery, stunted his chances of playing more games. Now, though, it seems he is finally listening to his critics.

The father of one released the first pictures of himself this offseason, where he is seen training alongside teammate VJ Edgecombe at the 76ers facilities. Those pictures have since gone viral, as they show how much he worked on his body this time.

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Fans react to Joel Embiid’s new ‘skinny’ physique

Basketball fans instantly noticed two things that stood out. One was that in the second photo, it seems as if Joel Embiid‘s left leg looks like it has a lot more heft than his right leg.

Some fans argued that it could be due to differing workout plans, as medical staff generally ask athletes to avoid stressing a part of their body that might need more time to recover. But what truly surprised fans was how much slimmer he has become.

It seems that this is the leanest version of the superstar big man the basketball world has seen. 76ers fans in particular reacted with predictions that this slim Embiid was going to help them win a championship. Check out examples of those reactions below.

Joel Embiid is at an age where he cannot afford to take chances with his health anymore. If he wants to play longer than his latest extension suggests, he might have to listen to LeBron James, an athlete who has proved that proper conditioning helps prolong one’s career.

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76ers head coach is all praise for Joel Embiid’s work this offseason

Fans may have seen the first glimpses of Joel Embiid’s workout plan to get into the best shape of his life. But his head coach has been watching over it throughout this offseason.

Joel Embiid's health has failed him in the past
Joel Embiid’s health has failed him in the past (Image via Hoops Central/X)

He looks fantastic… he’s having a great summer. Probably for the first time in a couple of summers. He’s in shape, he’s active, and he’s feeling much better to get out on the floor and to get in the weight room.

Nick Nurse said on NBCSPhilly’s Take Off

This means that even the head coach has been impressed with what he has seen his best player do to his body. Nick Nurse knows how important Joel Embiid’s health is to their championship hopes. What better way to keep the former league MVP motivated than to shower him with praise for his effort?

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