The Philadelphia 76ers set their sights on winning the first place in the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time in 20 years-the first championship since 1983.

It is honored for the position it deserves in the roster of players who have received salary increases throughout the season, but without Joel Embiid’s performance this year, it would be impossible to imagine the 76ers in this position. He has been a star since he entered the NBA, but his development and maturity this season have brought his game to a new height.

Checked out Embiid’s journey to MVP salary season on Thursday Written by Ramona Shelburne in the ESPN cover story, Joel talked about the changes made this year to improve his level of competition. Many of them are about the way he trains and prepares his body, but some of them are reflections of changes in his life.

In the game against the Washington Wizards, the 76ers’ season almost went viral on March 12. After a violent dunk, Embiid landed awkwardly and appeared to have suffered a serious knee injury. Embiid thinks so. Coach Doc Rivers thinks so. Every fan watching TV feels his heart sinks.

There is a touching detail in Shelburne’s story that involves Embiid’s reaction to injury and the fear of the Philadelphia season being destroyed. He finds comfort at home with his long-term partner Anna de Paula and the couple’s son Arthur, who was born in September last year:

Embiid’s six-month-old son, Arthur, went home in Philadelphia and woke up from a deep sleep about when his father fell to the ground in pain.

His mother, Anne de Paula, said: “Arthur can’t sleep all night every night.” “But when he woke up, he cried hysterically, almost like a nightmare.”

She had been upstairs watching the game, and when the man she loved was crying on the court, she felt very painful when she heard Arthur crying on the monitor.

She said: “They are like best friends.” “When Arthur saw him, there was no one else in the room. This was the most beautiful thing in history.

“The connection with them almost made Arthur feel that something was happening.”

After Embiid walked into the locker room, he checked the baby monitor on his phone and found that Arthur was awake. [ESPN]

Embiid’s son is named in memory of his late brother, who died in 2014 when a truck driver slammed into a campus in Cameroon. He is only 13 years old. Despite Embiid’s various swaggers and stupid attitudes during his time in the NBA, he has also been working hard to overcome the family tragedy and doing his best to make his brother proud.

Since then, Embiid returned to the court due to injuries and restored his dominance while the 76ers were preparing for the playoffs. According to ESPN’s story, although the knee injury looks bad, it may be a blessing in disguise, allowing him to establish contact with his family (including his parents).

During his injury, Embiid spent more time with them than he could have originally. That gave him time to think, and time to notice things he might have missed.

When he grew up, he remembered that his father was a strong man with a serious face. He is a general in the army and a star handball player. But when Thomas was in Philadelphia, Joel noticed something new about his father.

“I just told Annie,’I have never seen him smiling all his life,'” Embiid said. “‘Since he’s been here, he has smiled everywhere. Every time I see [Arthur], When he held him. I have never seen it in my life. “

Surrounded by his relatives, playing the best basketball of his life, Embiid is as close as the person and player he has always wanted to be. But there is still much to do.

Embiid said: “We have a chance to win the championship this year.” “We have a chance.” [ESPN]

The Sixers’ playoff hopes undoubtedly depend on Embiid’s physical health, but a healthy mind should not be underestimated.