Joel Embiid delivers a searing-hot cheesesteak take, says injuries stopped him from being the GOAT

Sixers star Joel Embiid is preparing for his Olympic debut with Team USA, but first, he sat down with the New York Times for a wide-ranging conversation on everything from his place in basketball history to his distaste for a Philly staple, the cheesesteak.

Embiid also discussed his father’s handball career and shared that if his son, Arthur, plays sports, he’d expect greatness. Then he dropped a quote that is sure to make headlines.

Asked if he would be in the greatest-of-all-time conversations without injuries, Embiid said: “I think so.”

“I think I’m that talented,” Embiid said. “I didn’t stop believing it until probably my fourth or fifth year in the league, when I had the opportunity to accomplish something special. And for that, obviously, you need to win championships. And to win championships, you need other guys. You need help.

“You can’t do it by yourself. It’s just impossible. So that’s why I want to win so bad.”

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid commends Sixers’ front office on landing Paul George, and hopes it eases the load

While that is a common refrain, Embiid has rarely spoken about designs on being basketball’s GOAT. Roundly considered one of the NBA’s best big men, Embiid has a resumé that includes an MVP award, five All-NBA selections, and seven All-Star nods in eight seasons. He has averages of 27.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks.

But even with those accomplishments, health issues have been a constant problem for Embiid since the beginning of his career. Embiid missed his first two seasons with a stress fracture in his foot and has suffered several injuries in the postseason. In fact, his meniscus tear last season cost him eight weeks and tanked the Sixers’ postseason standings.

“I mean, if you think about it, the thing that has stopped me all these years is just freak injuries,” Embiid said. “Every single playoffs, regular season, people falling on my knee or someone breaking my face twice. It was always about freak injuries at the wrong time.

“Like, I really believe that because if I was more healthy I think it would’ve been a different story.”

Embiid’s GOAT comments won’t be the only thing making waves, especially locally. It appears Embiid has a fraught relationship with steak of all kind — including cheesesteaks.

In his Times interview, Embiid was asked for his opinion on the best cheesesteak in Philly. The answer shocked podcast host David Marchese.

“I don’t eat cheesesteak,” Embiid said. “You want to know the real answer? The best cheesesteak is Subway cheesesteak.”

Embiid has tasted cheesesteak in Philly, according to his Twitter history, but he clearly didn’t become a fan of the local delicacy. Maybe he needs teammate and North Philly native Kyle Lowry to take him to a few more spots — no two cheesesteaks are the same.

Embiid previously revealed that his steak order is a little different from the typical 30-year-old millionaire. He likes his food burned, regardless of setting. That apparently includes posh steakhouses. And former Sixer Tobias Harris was happy to pile on when asked about this oddity.

“He likes his steak burnt, which is, like, super disrespectful,” Harris told The Athletic in 2022. “We were at a very well-known steakhouse. He asks for the steak to be burnt, burnt. And the chef came out and was like he’s not burning the steak, that’s like against his chef code …[Joel] was disappointed and he was like, ‘I don’t want to eat here anymore.’”

And steak isn’t the only food item Embiid wants burned to a crisp.

“Everything had to be extra, extra, extra, extra, extra, extra well-done,” Amir Johnson said in the 2022 article. “My man used to love his wings well-done. When we’d get on the team plane, he’d try to have the flight attendants put them in this airplane oven, which doesn’t cook, it just warms it up. We’d be on like a five-hour flight, and his wings would be in the oven the whole time.”

But burned steak will have to settle for No. 2 on Embiid’s list of weird food choices. Who remembers his Shirley Temple addiction?