ESPN's recent profile of Joel Embiid discusses the former MVP's struggles with injuries, mistrust and adapting to the NBA. But while the piece is sympathetic, it also details the way Embiid hasn't helped his own cause.

There's no doubting Embiid's willingness to play through injuries. In 2024, Embiid aggravated a knee injury in the first round of the playoffs, then suffered a bout of facial paralysis. Still, he played and averaged 33 points, 10.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists in the series loss.

He also clearly works hard, building himself into an NBA MVP after growing up in Cameroon and not playing basketball seriously before age 16. Embiid moved to a new country, learning a new sport and a new language, while dealing with a misdiagnosed foot injury that cost him his first two seasons.

But while Embiid's journey is impressive, he acknowledges the ways he hasn't helped himself. Like, by showing up late habitually.

After the details of a team meeting where Tyrese Maxey called out Embiid for being "late for everything," Embiid had choice words for whoever leaked the story to the press. It's presented as one of many ways Embiid has lost trust in people near him, but it doesn't explain why Embiid showed up late so often, even before a game where he scored 70 points.

Embiid also admitted he wasn't in great physical condition early in his career. "When I was younger, I still took care of myself but not enough," Embiid told writer Dotun Akintoye. He would also miss meetings with doctors and injury experts, even on trips to Qatar made solely for that purpose.

That's not to say Embiid deserves much of the criticism he gets for his injuries, which have often been caused by opponents.

"How do you stop someone elbowing you in the face?" Embiid asked. "How do you stop someone falling on your knee?... It doesn't matter what type of preparation you do."

But if Embiid truly wants to be great, he also can't be showing up late for games and team meetings in his ninth NBA season. After all the time and effort he's put into rehabilitating injuries and improving his game, Embiid can't derail himself by showing up late, or not at all