Joel Embiid has shared that he and former teammate James Harden are no longer on speaking terms. The Philadelphia 76ers center, speaking in an interview with ESPN, revealed the surprising fallout with the player he once formed a powerful on-court partnership with.
“Nobody knows this, but even James isn’t talking to me,” Embiid said. “That’s the part I don’t like about being the guy everyone looks to. It puts you in the middle of situations. He probably thinks I had something to do with him leaving. But I didn’t.”
Embiid reflected on their chemistry, saying, “I won the scoring title. He led the league in assists. Our pick-and-roll was unstoppable.” Despite that success, the two stars have drifted apart. “It hurts when you feel like you did nothing wrong. When you believe you had a strong relationship with someone, and then it’s gone, you lose a lot.”
Harden joined the 76ers in 2022 following a major trade that sent Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round picks to Brooklyn. Expectations were high, but the team fell short in the playoffs, exiting in the second round for two straight years.
During the 2022–23 season, Embiid averaged 33.1 points and earned the NBA MVP title, while Harden led the league with 10.7 assists per game. Despite those numbers, the offseason brought tension. Harden was frustrated when team president Daryl Morey didn’t offer him a max contract. He eventually asked to be traded and publicly accused Morey of lying.
“I will never be part of an organization he’s involved in,” Harden said before he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
What started as one of the league’s strongest duos has ended in silence, leaving fans wondering how it all fell apart so quickly.
