Embiid responded to question: I started playing at the age of 16. If I were lazy, I would not be able to achieve my current achievements.

July 17th News Recently, 76ers star Embiid accepted an exclusive interview with ESPN.

In the 2017-18 season, Embiid was photographed sitting on the sidelines eating a burger before the game while having the trainer massage his feet. This sparked early discussions about Embiid: he was lazy and didn't care about the game.

In response, Embiid said: "I still see a lot of people mentioning those things, talking about some stupid things I did when I first entered the league. I only started playing basketball at 16. If I were lazy, I could not have achieved what I am now. I started playing much later than others and I had to learn the sport at a very fast pace. I came to a brand new country, didn't understand language, and had to adapt to different cultures, I worked hard to adapt alone, all of which required concentration to do."