Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid Speaks Highly of Josh Harris

Back in March, Philadelphia 76ers Managing Partner Josh Harris caught a lot of heat as the Sixers' organization had plans to issue pay cuts to company employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not even 48 hours later, Harris felt the pressure coming in from enraged fans and disappointed players and decided to reverse his decision.

"After listening to our staff and players, it's clear that was the wrong decision," Harris mentioned in a statement a few months ago. "We have reversed it and will be paying these employees their full salaries. This is an extraordinary time in our world -- unlike any most of us have ever lived through before - and ordinary business decisions are not enough to meet the moment. To our staff and fans, I apologize for getting this wrong."

Once Harris and the Sixers announced they planned to pay employees in full, Sixers' All-Star center Joel Embiid took to Twitter to show how happy he was when the news came out that Harris and company changed their minds. "In these trying times, I'm proud of the Sixers organization for reversing course," Embiid tweeted. "Let's focus on beating this Coronavirus now. Let's be responsible and Trust the Process!"

Over the next few weeks, Harris, his co-partner David Blitzer, and Embiid contributed over seven-figures worth of donations in order to help fund antibody testing for front line workers. Typically, it's unusual for single players to partner up with team owners like that to make such a large donation. In this case, however, Embiid believes he's more than just one of Josh Harris' players -- he sees himself as a partner, too. 

"Since I got to Philly, he's made me feel like a partner instead of treating me like someone who works for him," Embiid told Business Insider. "He values my input, and we got it fixed." In a recent Business Insider profile based around Harris, Embiid also revealed that the billionaire managing partner paid a visit to Embiid midway through the 2019-2020 season.

As Embiid was struggling to get past a mental slump back in the winter, Harris had a sitdown discussion with his franchise superstar and "offered moral support," according to the report. "Our motto is that we want to treat everybody like family," Embiid said. "Since I got here, [the Sixers' partners] treated me as such."

Embiid believes Harris, Blitzer, and the Sixers have given a lot to him -- so now he wants to return the favor and get the 76ers a championship like he believes he's supposed to. "I think we have a chance to make it happen," he said. "That is the first step. And once you get that first one, you are going to think about a couple more."

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