Sixers’ Joel Embiid Named 2023 NBA All-Star

The Philadelphia 76ers will have one player representing the team in the NBA All-Star game. On Thursday, the NBA announced that Sixers center Joel Embiid had been voted in as a 2023 All-Star reserve.

The nod doesn't come as a surprise. For Embiid, it was more of a shock that he didn’t earn an invite as a starter. Although he got off to a slower start than expected at the beginning of the year, the star center totally turned things around and started playing like the MVP-caliber center he’s established himself to be over the last couple of seasons.

In 38 games this year, Embiid’s spent around 35 minutes on the court per game. During that time, he’s averaged 34 points, ten rebounds, four assists, one steal, and two blocks. The big man has knocked down 36 percent of his threes on three attempts per game and successfully hit on 53 percent of his field goals.

While many expected Embiid to earn another nod as a starter in the All-Star game, three other Eastern Conference players were voted in as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, and Jayson Tatum ranked above Embiid when the votes were tallied.

Embiid joked after the Sixers’ Wednesday night win over the Magic that he wasn’t so sure he’d make it to the All-Star game this year. However, Embiid has been voted in officially and will collect his sixth-straight appearance in the All-Star game.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.