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The most dominant player to have put on a Philadelphia 76ers since the days of Charles Barkley and Allen Iverson, might now be Joel Embiid. Yet the value of Joel Embiid rookie cards seem to be all over the place.
Some might argue his time missed for injuries over the years puts him behind certain players who have been able to stay healthy.
But one thing for sure is that when healthy, Embiid puts up some big numbers, just as he’s demonstrated in 2023.
It seems in recent years, the 76ers put themselves in a position to go deep into the playoffs with Embiid and teammates Tyrese Maxey and James Harden.
Plus he seems to always be in MVP talks when healthy as well. For those looking to add a Joel Embiid rookie card to their collection, here are a few suggestions below.
1. 2014-15 Panini Prizm Joel Embiid Rookie Card
Just a few years after the release of the inaugural Panini Prizm set, it still remains a popular set for basketball rookie cards.
And the year that Embiid is in the set is no exception. You can chase plenty of parallels with the rare, high-grade ones going for thousands of dollars.
2. 2014-15 National Treasures Autograph Patch Joel Embiid Rookie Card
For the super high-end collector, you can’t beat the rookie patch autograph cards from the National Treasures set.
There are a couple of image variations with both a horizontal and vertical configuration of this rookie card.
3. 2014-15 Donruss Elite Joel Embiid Rookie Card
For an alternative to the Panini Prizm set, Donruss usually has a decent alternative rookie card available to collect.
And the 2014-15 Donruss Elite card comes in various parallels as well including a die-cut, serial numbered version that some collectors might enjoy.
Plus it’s an autograph card, which is nice (if you don’t mind a sticker auto).
MORE ON JOEL EMBIID:
Joel Embiid, often referred to as “The Process,” is from Cameroon who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers. Since being drafted third overall in the 2014 NBA draft, Embiid has become one of the most dominant big men in the league.
As mentioned previously in this post, Embiid’s NBA career got off to a slow start due to injuries, but he quickly proved himself to be a force when he was on the court.
In his rookie season, he averaged 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game, despite only playing 31 games. He was then named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and showed that he had the potential to be one of the best players in the league.
But injuries continued to plague Embiid over the next few seasons. He missed the entire 2015-2016 season due to a foot injury and only played 31 games in the 2016-2017 season due to knee soreness. Despite the setbacks, Embiid continued to improve and make his mark on the league.
In the 2017-2018 season, Embiid played in 63 games and averaged 22.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. He was named to the All-Star team for the first time and helped lead the 76ers to the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
Embiid’s success continued in the 2018-2019 season when he averaged 27.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team and the All-Star team for the second time.
Then in the 2019-2020 season, Embiid averaged 23.0 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. He was named to the All-Star team for the third time and helped lead the 76ers to the playoffs.
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