NBA media mogul excited about 76ers title prospects after encouraging Joel Embiid game against Serbia

Joel Embiid's positive showing against Serbia in the basketball semifinal of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday had the likes of Bill Simmons excited. The media mogul believes the big's 19-point outing drastically improves the Philadelphia 76ers' title chances in the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season alongside his new running mate, Paul George.

Speaking to Rob Mahoney soon after Team USA's 95-91 win at the Bercy Arena on Thursday, Simmons believes Embiid's performance is one of the bright sparks for the team ahead of their title campaign. The big's efforts also included four rebounds, two assists and a block. Moreover, he also had a monster dunk to set the tone.

"Embiid had, I think my favorite stretch of basketball he's ever played. And if you're going to make the case for Philadelphia to be the 2025 title team, it's like does this guy have it in him?

"And honestly, I wasn't sure. I think this was the happiest I have ever been after an Embiid game."

Mahoney responded by saying that it's also the most emotional and emotive he has been since the Paris Olympics started. That comes after the seven-time NBA All-Star had a rather dull tournament that saw him subjected to jeers from the French crowd after he decided to suit up for Team USA.

Soon after the semifinal win, Embiid was seen celebrating and even dished out the "s*** it" celebration to the crowd multiple times. While it appears that he's in a better space mentally, it remains to be seen how the center fares in the all-important final on Saturday.

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LeBron James credits Joel Embiid for his performance in the semifinal

Joel Embiid's 19 points proved to be crucial for Team USA as he and Steph Curry (36 points) made major contributions on the scoring front. LeBron James, who ended with a triple-double, gave Embiid and Curry credit for their efforts in the close win.

“Perseverance, hard work dedication, Chef Curry and Joel ‘Process’ Embiid. Big-time win for us. We knew we were going to be challenged. We knew it was going to be the toughest game to date. Total effort.”

The focus after the Olympics will be on the upcoming NBA season. For the Sixers, Joel Embiid is coming off a brilliant season. He averaged 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 52.9% from the field and 38.8% from beyond the arc.