BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 28: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the second quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game Five of the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoff at TD Garden on April 28, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Philadelphia 76ers’ 2026 playoff run is over after the New York Knicks swept them 4-0 in the second round, capping it with a 144-114 blowout in Game 4. But at the postgame podium, Embiid made it clear that basketball is the last thing on his mind right now.
In a video shared by @sny_knicks on X, Embiid sat at the postgame podium with his young son in his lap. Asked how he thinks about his legacy, he went somewhere most players wouldn’t go in a press conference.
GettyPhiladelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid
Road crowds can get loud and personal, and Embiid didn’t hold back about what it feels like when his son is sitting right there for it.
“We go on the road, they’re chanting. I hate that he hears that. But he has to understand that that’s the way the world is, and you’ve just got to live and understand that there’s going to be negativity, there’s going to be positivity. You’ve got to go through it and it’s okay.”
As part of an extended answer about how he views his legacy in the game, Joel Embiid talks about his son hearing profane chants directed towards his father on the road:
“We go on the road, they’re chanting. I hate that he hears that, but he has to understand that that’s the way
His son would even react to the chants in the moment, and Embiid had to calm him down. The point wasn’t bitterness. It was perspective. His son sees him at home every day, and that’s what counts.
From there, the conversation shifted to something even deeper. He cracked a joke mid-answer about his daughter missing bedtime and his wife being upset, then got real fast.
“I don’t care. This beautiful young man [son], you guys [media] might have taken away my chance to put my daughter to sleep. My wife is gonna be extremely mad at me. So, you know, that’s all I care about. I got my family, I got my kids. Hopefully I get more. I got my mom, my dad,” Embiid said.
He added, “I don’t know, I could care less about what people think about me when it comes to basketball. I think I’ve done a lot of stuff off the court. So hopefully that’s the part that’s remembered, whether it’s here in Philadelphia, all over the US, in Africa. And you know, that’s been my goal.”
He went on to say that winning matters deeply to him but that basketball is just a platform. Losing hurts, he said, but it won’t define who he is.
Embiid battled through a hip issue, a sprained ankle, and an appendectomy this postseason, still averaging 24 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists across the playoffs.
The Knicks were simply the better team, but that stat line says plenty about the man’s toughness. Philly’s title window stays uncertain, and the legacy debate will continue, but Embiid already knows what he’s playing for.
Jayesh Pagar Jayesh Pagar is a writer at Heavy Sports, covering the New York Knicks and other NBA teams. He brings four years of experience across digital sports media, including NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and college football. He covered as the Knicks beat writer for ONSI and has written for PFSN, Sporting News, and ClutchPoints. More about Jayesh Pagar
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