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Ex-Grizzlies Player Reveals Untold Story of Joel Embiid Recruiting Paul George

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was connected to Paul George in an unexpected way

Joey Linn

Nov 21, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) at Wells Fargo Center.
Nov 21, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) at Wells Fargo Center. / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
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The Philadelphia 76ers made the biggest splash of the NBA offseason by signing former LA Clippers star Paul George to a four-year, $212M contract in free agency.

George joins the star duo of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey as the 76ers remain in pursuit of an NBA championship. While it once seemed unlikely that George would leave the Clippers, the Southern California native was unable to come close to an agreement with the franchise he spent the last five seasons with.

Clippers president Lawrence Frank recently revealed to a group of media members that the team upped their offer to George after acquiring James Harden, but the two sides remained far apart in negotiations.

This left the door open for the 76ers and Embiid to begin recruiting the nine-time All-Star to Philadelphia.

This pursuit was obvious before George even officially entered free agency.

In a recent article from NBA insider Marc Stein via his Substack, a story that former Memphis Grizzlies forward Quincy Pondexter shared on the #thisleague UNCUT podcast was transcribed. According to Pondexter, he helped first connect Embiid and George.

"Joel's one of my best friends," Pondexter said on the #thisleague UNCUT podcast, via Stein. "And so how Joel got Paul's number to start trying to pitch it to him was through me. ... I don't even know how much the Sixers know this, but quietly one of the biggest — I hate to say this — one of the biggest pieces in that was me being like: 'Yo, Joel, you got to keep recruiting [George], you gotta try to get him, you gotta get him, you gotta talk to him, you gotta, you know, whatever it is.'"

Memphis Grizzlies guard Quincy Pondexter
Memphis Grizzlies guard Quincy Pondexter (8) during the game against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. / Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Pondexter was in the NBA for nine seasons, but missed two full years due to a knee injury. The former first round pick of the OKC Thunder in 2010 spent most of his career in Memphis, appearing in 168 games for the Grizzlies across four seasons.

According to Pondexter, Embiid at one point gave up hope that George would join the 76ers.

"There was a time when Joel gave up," Pondexter said. "He was like: 'There's no way he's coming, there's no way he's coming to Philly, there's no chance.’ I called P's friends and they were like: 'Q, trust me. He has a great chance. You guys are doing right.'"

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Joey Linn

JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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