Joel Embiid explained why he adopted “The Process” as his nickname in response to the dismissal of Sam Hinkie in 2016.
“I remember I used to get calls about like ‘can you please tell Joel not to mention the process’ name? We’re trying to move on from it,” Embiid recalled on Draymond Green’s podcast.
“I got to the league and my second year, (Hinkie) was basically forced out,” Embiid said. “I don’t wanna say names but you know I’m outspoken so I’ll say it: the NBA. I don’t know who, but I think that’s what it was.
“They basically forced him out and I didn’t like it.”
Embiid decided to pay homage to the regime that believed in him dating back to 2014.
“Around that time the league did not like The Process because it was a bunch of losing, they’re saying it was tanking, they were losing on purpose, which in the end no one loses on purpose,” he said. “If you’re not talented enough in the NBA, yeah, you’re gonna freaking lose if you’re playing against more talented players.”
“I knew they didn’t like The Process and then I was like ‘you know what? I’m gonna piss some people off’,” Embiid continued, “so that’s why I started pushing the agenda about you know what? I’m gonna support my mans because he drafted me, coming out of college before I got drafted he believed in me.”