Joel Embiid joyous over getting US Driver's license after 9-year struggle

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid can now finally drive himself anywhere after getting a US drivers license. Embiid came to the United States 9 years ago to become a basketball pro and while he achieved that with ease, the US drivers license was not an easy catch. The Sixers star took to Twitter to announce the news. 

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NBA restart: Joel Embiid finally bags a US Drivers license after nine years in the country

Joel Embiid took to Twitter to announce that he finally had managed to get a drivers license after spending nine years in the country. Furthermore, he also asked his followers for recommendations for a new car he aims to buy. The Cameroonian star was in fine form before the NBA season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Joel Embiid averaged 3.4 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 47.4 per cent from the field and 34.8 per cent from three. Embiid's constant performances drove the 76ers to fifth in the Eastern Conference Standings and will travel to Florida to take part in the NBA restart. The 76ers will be a genuine contender during the NBA Restart and Joel Embiid will be the key if the Sixers are to go all the way. 

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Joel Embiid hits $95 million minutes-played incentive after curtailed season

According to ESPN, Joel Embiid will cash in $95 million guaranteed though his three-year contract after hitting the minutes-played incentive. The 76ers had put a minutes-played incentive into Embiid’s contract after he had missed the first two and a half years of his five-year, $148 million extension while dealing with foot injuries. The minutes-played clause worked in favour of Joel Embiid, 127 regular-season games over the next two seasons and was on course to play more than 50 before the current season was suspended.

According to ESPN, Joel Embiid needed 1,650 minutes this season to fully guarantee the contract but prorated over the Sixers’ 65 games that lowered the requirement to below the 1,329 minutes he had played this season.

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Where is Joel Embiid from?

Joel Embiid was born in Yaoundé, Cameroon and had originally planned to play professional volleyball in Europe, but switched to basketball aged 15. Embiid modelled his game after NBA Hall of Fame centre Hakeem Olajuwon and was discovered at a basketball camp by Luc Mbah a Moute, a fellow native of Yaounde and an NBA player. He then moved to US with Mbah a Moute to fulfil his basketball dream.

After a rather slow start, Embiid burst onto the scene after earning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honours while playing for the University of Kansas. In the subsequent NBA Draft, he was selected with the third overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers making him the third Cameroonian-born NBA player after Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje and Luc Mbah a Moute, as well as the highest selected player from Cameroon. 

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(Image Credit: nba.com)