76ers' Joel Embiid is Coming out of his Shell in the NBA's Bubble

When the Philadelphia 76ers drafted Kansas center Joel Embiid with the third-overall pick in 2014, nobody would've thought he was more of an introvert than anything. At the time, Embiid was heavily invested in social media and loved to entertain fans with his comedic personality.

And if Embiid wasn't on social media, you could catch the Sixers' big man strolling around the streets of Philadelphia looking for ways to interact with fans, whether it was playing tennis, basketball, or crushing non-alcoholic Shirley Temples at a local bar in the city.

In 2020, though, Embiid is shockingly hard to find outside. This year, the Sixers' big man admitted that outside of basketball, he only likes to stay inside and play video games. And the guy who was once always found cracking jokes and trolling on social media rarely posts anymore.

It's not an issue that Embiid has with the public. Even within the Sixers locker room, Embiid is on the quiet side. And when it comes to events, the three-time All-Star isn't one to typically attend. "I'm more reserved," Embiid revealed recently, according to Serena Winters of NBC Sports Philadelphia. "All I want to do is play video games. I don't want to be going out. The last time I probably went and did something was probably four years ago, so I just don't like doing anything."

While Embiid has plenty of opportunities to play video games down in the Orlando bubble, the veteran big man seems to be more open to participating in off-court gatherings with his team, too. 

On Saturday, one of Embiid's backups, Kyle O'Quinn, revealed the former third pick showed up to Mike Scott's birthday get together on Thursday.

And following Saturday's practice, Sixers head coach Brett Brown revealed that he recently had a conversation with his star center about the forced "togetherness" the bubble environment creates. "He and I talked a lot about that yesterday, and he was the one that brought it to me, saying, 'absolutely,'" Brown said.

"It's hard to explain sort of the forced camaraderie, forced -- because of the environment -- togetherness," Brown continued. "You really don't have anybody else. We all understand, he comes in, he brings it, he practices or has a game and then he goes home. And there are a lot of players that are like that. I'm kind of like that. And this environment here I just think is surreal in the fact that you've got no choice. Here you are, with each other, and I love it. I love it, and I think our guys have most importantly appreciated each other's company." 

Embiid might've nearly mastered his game on the court, but the 26-year-old big man has worked on becoming a vocal leader for his team throughout the 2019-2020 season. Without a robust off-court bond with his teammates, Embiid was going to have a tough time developing as a better leader understandably. As he slowly starts to come out of his shell in Orlando, though, the three-time All-Star will more than likely benefit in a significant way, which is great for the Sixers as a whole.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_