Joel Embiid explains why he's 'against the concept of sacrificing' for the star-studded 76ers

Embiid doesn't think any of the Sixers stars need to take a back seat this season

Oct 17, 2026 at 12:40 pm ET • 3 min read

The Philadelphia 76ers are the latest NBA organization to build a superteam, adding Jaylen Brown and LeBron James this offseason to create a starting lineup with four All-Stars alongside Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. 

James. in particular, knows exactly what it takes to get a team of stars to accomplish their ultimate goal of winning a championship, but this 76ers squad is approaching things a little bit differently than James' Big 3 Heat. 

Where Chris Bosh was the player to clearly sacrifice his role for the betterment of the team alongside James and Dwyane Wade in Miami, Embiid said after Friday's preseason finale that he believes the Sixers can thrive without needing anyone to take a back seat to anyone else, via ESPN. 

"I'm against the concept of sacrificing," Embiid said. "I think the way I explained it was you do what you do best, and we're going to support you. ... I don't think anybody has to take a back seat."

The Sixers can certainly structure their rotations to where each of their four stars has moments throughout a game where they get to be the focal point. However, when all four share the court together, there will need to be a hierarchy in place, particularly come crunch time in close games. 

That's going to require some give-and-take from the four stars, and it could be dependent on their opponent as to which of their stars has the biggest advantage. Embiid may prefer to call it support rather than sacrifice or a back seat, but the Sixers are going to have to learn how to work together and play secondary roles to make this all work. 

What may help the Sixers the most is that no one understands that more than James, and the 42-year-old taking a minimum to sign in Philly signaled he's happy to play that supporting role and pitch in as a lead option when needed. 

Jaylen Brown also has experience playing off a fellow star and winning a championship, so there shouldn't be any shortage of understanding of what it takes to succeed. The bigger question is whether everyone can come to an agreement on how that works best, making Nick Nurse's biggest task ego management 

Sixers bolster center depth in a (literal) big way

While Embiid and the Sixers stars figure out how they can all maximize each other's strengths, the organization is still trying to piece together a center rotation behind Embiid. After Ariel Hukporti suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, Philadelphia found itself extremely thin at the five behind Embiid, with Adem Bona -- who has missed the preseason with a foot sprain -- as the only reserve center on the roster. 

On Saturday, the Sixers addressed their issues in the short term by converting Tacko Fall to a two-way contract after having him signed to a camp deal. The 7-foot-6 big man has missed the preseason with a hip strain, but the Sixers must feel confident he'll be able to help them fairly soon to bolster their rotation. 

Fall has been out of the NBA since the 2021-22 season when he played 11 games with the Cavaliers. In his career he's only played in 37 games in three seasons, but the Sixers must believe he can be a contributor to their rotation to convert him into a two-way spot. 

With their first apron hard cap, Philadelphia couldn't even add a vet minimum full-season deal after Hukporti went down, and Fall could be a relatively short-term stopgap until their cap situation allows for a partial-season deal. 

Between stars learning how to work together and Nurse trying to cobble together a center rotation behind Embiid, there will be no shortage of intrigue in Philly at the start of the season.