76ers News: Joel Embiid Makes History With Dominant Start to Season

Through the first half of the regular season, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has arguably been the most dominant player in the NBA. Following another dominant outing, he etched himself in the history books alongside a trio of all-time greats.

On Friday night, Embiid took the floor against the Orlando Magic fresh off a victory over Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. He needed just 31 minutes of action to record 36 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and four steals. The Sixers won in convincing fashion, beating Orlando by a final score of 124-109.

Friday's matchup logged Embiid's 30th appearance of the year. He continues to put up monster averages of 35.1 PPG, 11.4 RPG, and 5.9 APG. With these numbers, Embiid becomes only the fourth player in history to average at least 35 points and 10 rebounds through the first 30 of the season. The others to do so are Hall of Famers Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, and Rick Barry.

.@Sixers @JoelEmbiid is averaging 35.1 PPG, 11.4 RPG & 5.9 APG in 30 games this season. He’s just the 4th player in @NBAHistory to average at least 35/10 through his first 30 games of a season, joining W. Chamberlain (5x), E. Baylor (1961-62), & R. Barry (1966-67).

h/t @jkubatko
— Sixers Stats (@SixersStats) January 20, 2024

After securing the MVP award last year, the Sixers star finds himself as a frontrunner yet again. This heightened level of play has been critical for the Sixers, who sit in third place in the Eastern Conference.

As he continues to put up dominant numbers, Embiid is getting his name alongside the likes of Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O'Neal. Aside from being one of his generation's top stars, he is climbing up the ranks of all-time big men.

Depending on how things pan out regarding games played, Embiid has a very strong chance of joining the elite company of back-to-back MVPs.