Last February, ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins urged Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey to trade Joel Embiid and Paul George over this past offseason. News that emerged on Saturday would suggest that maybe the 76ers should have indeed traded George, who was suspended 25 games by the NBA for violating the league’s anti-drug policy. But Embiid has put together a strong season and has looked like his former NBA MVP self of late.
During Friday’s edition of NBA Today, Perkins said that he would “like to issue an apology” to Morey and Embiid.
Perk:
“I like to issue an apology to Daryl Morey and Joel Embiid because I didn’t expect this. If you’d ask me this two months I thought Joel Embiid was on the verge of retirement and now all of a sudden he’s come back to looking like an all-NBA caliber player” pic.twitter.com/bsbmMnAOIS
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) January 30, 2026
“I would like to an issue an apology,” Perkins began, to the surprise of NBA Today host Hannah Storm.
“Yeah, seriously,” Perkins said. “To Daryl Morey, Joel Embiid, because I didn’t expect this. If you’d ask me this two months ago, I thought Joel Embiid was on the verge of retirement. Seriously. And now, all of a sudden, he’s come back to looking like an All-NBA-caliber player.”
“And we know that he’s going to get buckets, as far as what he does on the perimeter, because he’s one of the most skilled bigs to ever play the damn game of basketball,” Perkins, a former NBA champion center, continued. “But it’s the lift. He’s dunking the ball now. We saw him catch an alley. He’s playing above the rim. And he’s playing with force.”
Embiid, 31, is averaging 25.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game this season. He has scored at least 30 points in five of his last six games, including a 37-point effort (13/21 from the field) in a 113-111 win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday. He battled knee issues last season and underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in April, but he appears to be back to being one of the NBA’s best players now.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.