ALL-STAR GAME: TEAM GIANNIS VS. TEAM LEBRON

February 19, 2023

Joel Embiid

Team LeBron

Press Conference

Team Giannis - 184, Team LeBron - 175

Q. I don't know if you have decided that you are going to play with USA or with France, the World Cup.

JOEL EMBIID: I'm focused on the season. We have a long season ahead, second half of the season. Once I get there, the main goal is to win.

That's where my focus is. Go out and do whatever it takes to try to accomplish that goal to win a championship. So, like I said, that's where I'm focused.

Q. So far this season what's it been like, that partnership with James Harden, and how excited are you for that when you come back from the break?

JOEL EMBIID: It's been great. I mean, since last year, you know, we've been growing every single day. Obviously, it's been, what, about a year since we've been playing together. It takes a lot of time to have a connection with somebody, but I feel like from the beginning we already had that connection. The way we play off of each other, I think obviously you can always get better, but I think we're on the right path.

Q. Joel, maybe now is a futuristic scenario, but what could happen if we put NBA teams to compete with EuroLeague teams? Because a lot of international players have said that it's harder scoring in Europe than in NBA.

JOEL EMBIID: Is it? I've never played in Euro, so I wouldn't know. But the NBA is the best league in the world for a reason. Guys that are here, they're here for a reason, because that's some of the best players in the world.

So I'm not sure about competing against each other, but, I mean, the NBA, when you look at what the NBA has been able to do and grow over the years, it just shows you how much talent and why that is not easy to make it here. If it was easy, everybody would.

But I'm not sure. I'm sure it might be hard to play over there, but it's still basketball at the end of the day. You've got to make shots. You've got to play defense. You've got to get stops. You still have to score the ball. Yeah, it's the same thing to me.