Joel Embiid Eclipses Sixers Icon Allen Iverson With New Milestone

Joel Embiid Eclipses Sixers Icon Allen Iverson With New Milestone

Edwin Kiplagat
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:25 PM
  • Joel Embiid has joined the 10,000 points club
  • The Philadelphia 76ers star took only 373 games to reach that mark, passing Allen Iverson who needed 378 games
  • Embiid is set to play in his 6th NBA All-Star game this weekend

Joel Embiid is the fastest player in Philadelphia 76ers history to cross 10,000 career points, passing Sixers great and Basketball Hall of Fame Allen Iverson.

He eclipsed that mark against the Cleveland Cavaliers, scoring 29 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block in 39 minutes of action.

Joel Embiid, Allen Iverson, NBA, Philadelphia 76ers, Charles Barkley
Joel Embiid is an MVP candidate this season. Photos by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE and Chris Covatta/NBAE.
Source: Getty Images

Embiid is one of the frontrunners for the NBA MVP award this season. He's averaging 33.1 points per game, the second-best in the league, behind Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic.

The 28-year-old is also set to play in his sixth NBA All-Star Gane this weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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Embiid's new milestone

The Cameroonian has also achieved a new milestone. He has now scored 10,000 points, accomplishing that feat in 373 games, passing Iverson for the fewest games to reach that mark.

The Hall of Famer needed 378 games to score 10,000 points, while Charles Barkley took 445 games. Moreover, the Sixers' big man is the 13th quickest player to reach that threshold, according to CBS Sports.

He needed just five minutes against the Cavaliers to reach the new landmark. A driving layup gave him an and-1 opportunity. It is impressive that Embiid reached that mark despite missing two and a half seasons of his career due to injuries.

"I've put in a lot of work to be able to put myself in those positions, no matter what it is on the floor. To be able to make something happen, I'm extremely lucky. But then again, I put in the work. I'm just proud it contributes to winning," via ESPN.

Why Embiid missed All-Star starting spot

Considering he's been one of if not the best players in the NBA this season, it was surprising to see Embiid miss out on the starting spot in the upcoming All-Star game.

The 28-year-old ranked third among East frontcourt players in the player and media rankings but fourth in fan voting. He accumulated 4,900,482 fan votes to Tatum's 5,221,720.

With Durant, Tatum and Antetokounmpo ranking above him overall, he couldn't earn a starting spot, as Sports Brief reported.

Authors
Edwin Kiplagat photo
Edwin Kiplagat
Edwin Kiplagat has five years of experience in journalism working as a Sports Editor at Africa Insight Communications and ESPN. Edwin Kiplagat is a Bachelor's Degree holder in journalism from the Multimedia University of Kenya.