Joel Embiid Notches Career-High on Anniversary of Iconic Performance

Sixers star scores 70 points on anniversary of Kobe Bryant's 81.

On Monday night, the Philadelphia 76ers returned home after a weekend road trip. Next up on the schedule was a matchup with Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. 

Initially, the main storyline of this game was Wembanyama matching up with Embiid. While both big men shined, the reigning MVP had a night he will never forget. 

Like so many time before, Embiid got off to a hot start and never looked back. The final result was him dropping a new career-high in points. When all was said and done, Embiid notched a whopping 70 points. 

Embiid is the first person to score 70 or more this season, and is just the ninth player in history to do so. This mark is also a new single-game franchise record, previously held by Wilt Chamberlain. It's worth mentioning that his 100-point game was in Philadelphia, but was with the Warriors franchise. 

What makes this performance so special is that it came on the anniversary of one of the NBA's most iconic performances. 18 years ago to the day, Kobe Bryant erupted for 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. 

Early in his career, Embiid talked a lot about what an inspiration Kobe was to him. When he was first learning how to play basketball, he was given footage of the 2010 finals to watch. From there, Kobe became a bit of an idol to him. Embiid even wore his iconic No. 24 for one game during the 2020 season. 

It took Embiid just 36 minutes to score 70 points. He also tallied 18 rebounds, five assists, and one block on the night. The Sixers star shot 24-for-41 from the field, including a stellar 21-of-23 from the free-throw line. Led by this historic performance, Philly was able to take down the Spurs for their sixth-straight victory. 

Embiid and the Sixers now get to enjoy two days off before hitting the road for a five game road stretch.