Joel Embiid Scores 70 Points, Breaks Wilt Chamberlain’s 76ers Record

Joel Embiid had a historic night, breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s Philadelphia 76ers record. On Monday night (Jan. 22), Joel and the 76ers squared off against the Victor Wembanyama-led San Antonio Spurs. On the 18th anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game, Embiid would etch his name in the NBA history books, too.

The Cameroonian athlete dropped 24 points in the first quarter. At the end of the first half, Embiid was nearly unstoppable as he scored 59 points. The 76ers star finished the game with 70 points, 5 assists, and 18 rebounds. According to ESPN, Embiid’s full stat line has never happened in NBA history. Additionally, the star player’s 70-piece breaks Chamberlain’s record of 68 points with the storied basketball franchise. The Sixers wound up beating the Spurs 133-123. The 2023 league MVP spoke about the historical night during a post-game interview.

“Obviously, Wilt accomplished everything [in] the history of this league, and basketball in general,” Embiid said. “So to be in the same conversation, that’s pretty cool. It was just a great night… I had it going. I mentioned a few times, a lot of teammates are extremely unselfish and they just kept giving me the ball, and I just finished it.”

“The only thing I told my teammates was please just don’t force it,” Embiid added. “Let’s just play basketball. If I’m open, pass it, if I’m not, make sure you make the right play.”

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse also spoke to Embiid’s greatness. He recalled the moment in the game when he noticed the NBA star was popping off. “The time that it kind of hit me, I thought, was the start of the third,” Nurse told reporters. “I think he had a bucket and an and-1, like in the first minute. I was like, ‘Wait a minute, he’s already got like 37, 38, something like that.’ I was like, ‘Geez, that’s a lot, with a whole half to go.'”

But Joel Embiid’s teammate Tyrese Maxey contextualized the special night. He cautioned fans not to
take Jo for granted” and to savor his on-court performance. After bigging up Embiid’s game, Maxey reiterated that his skill set and game should be appreciated now rather than later.

“He’s great. I keep telling everybody we cannot take this for granted. Not just as teammates, not as an organization, but as fans—even if you’re not a fan of Philadelphia—if you’re just a fan of basketball, you can’t take Jo for granted, man. What he’s doing right now is special,” Tyrese said.

“He’s not just doing it off layups, he’s not doing it off just 3s. He’s doing it off every single thing. He’s making free throws. He’s doing so much out there… He’s not taking any nights off on defense. We appreciate him, and everybody else should appreciate him, as well.”

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