One Thousand and Forty-Three: The Imperial Master and the Great Emperor (1/5)

Luke Richard Mbah a Moute was selected by the Bucks with the 37th overall pick in the second round of 2008.

He has never been a high-profile star, and even when he was playing in the NCAA, his statistics were not that explosive.

In 2008, compared with such shining names as Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Love, he was really ordinary and was submerged in the long list of rookies.

Although he successfully entered the NBA, he is still not well known to people.

His poor offensive ability has caused him little attention, and his team's poor performance also prevents him from being able to make a name for himself in the playoffs through defense like Tony Allen.

In this way, Mbah a Moute wandered around the league. He bounced around many teams, and fans of many teams would completely forget about him the day after he left.

After all, in the NBA, not all players can become superstars. The scenery at the top of the pyramid is great, but it must also be supported by ordinary players.

And Mbah a Moute is an ordinary one among these ordinary players.

If he hadn't joined the Clippers this year and occupied the highly exposed market of Los Angeles, Mbah a Moute's popularity might have been even lower.

However, it is such an unknown blue-collar player in the league, but he is an out-and-out basketball hero in his country, Cameroon.

"I just want to be a role model and tell the children of Cameroon that they can have more choices." This is what Mbah a Moute said in an interview, and this is also the positive significance of his landing in the NBA for Cameroon.

Cameroon is a unitary republic located in central and western Africa. The economy is not bad, but there are still many areas that are relatively backward. Many of Mbah a Moute's childhood playmates dropped out of school and went to work on farms for a salary of one dollar a day.

Bamot even witnessed the death of his childhood friends just because he had no money to buy medicine and food.

Therefore, after entering the NBA, Mbah a Moute also used his influence and financial resources to vigorously develop Cameroon's basketball.

He goes home every summer to hold basketball training camps, hoping to discover more talented children.

He wants children in Cameroon to fall in love with basketball, to believe that they have the potential to do something extraordinary.

This is Mbah a Moute, an ordinary person in the NBA, but in his country, he is a hero to everyone.

Thanks to his efforts, there are now two Cameroonian players playing in the NBA besides him.

Moreover, more and more people have changed their lives and destiny because of basketball.

He has been exposed to countless talented Cameroonian children, many of whom have become true professional players even if they cannot play in the NBA.

But among the many children, the one who impressed Mbah a Moute the most was the child he met five years ago who was planning to go to France to play volleyball.

In June 2011, Mbah a Moute, who was less than 30 at the time, went home to hold a basketball training camp as always.

In the training camp, a skinny kid caught Mbah a Moute's eyes.

His physical fitness is very good, he can break fast, change direction, and turn around in one go. He rushed to the basket and dunked explosively, causing the rim to shake violently.

The most important thing is that the child grew to 2.07 meters when he was only 17 years old. What shocked Mbah a Moute the most was when he asked the coach at the training camp how long the child had been playing basketball, the coach scratched his head in embarrassment.

"There are only 6 months, of which 3 months are formal formal training."

"What!? What's his name?" Bamot was shocked.

It took only 3 months of formal training to achieve this level. Then if he is sent to receive more professional training, he will not be allowed to take off?

After that, Mbah a Moute got a name that he will remember for life, "His name is Joel Embiid."

So two months after the training camp ended, Mbah a Moute arranged for Embiid to go to the United States.

At that time, Embiid could only say "Good morning", and he didn't even know whether the NCAA was a dish or something else.

But with Mbah a Moute's help, Embiid quickly adapted here. He plays and trains every day, watches videos of Olajuwon and vomits, and then continues training.

After high school, Embiid and Mbah a Moute negotiated the NCAA, and Embiid finally gained a foothold in Kansas.

After entering college, facing various talents, Embiid also had moments of disappointment. He once found Mbah a Moute and confided in disappointment, "I feel like I don't belong here at all."

Just like when his father learned that he was going to play basketball in the United States, he stood up angrily and banged the table, shouting, "No one in Cameroon will play basketball!"

However, Mbah a Moute just told him, "Don't talk nonsense, you will definitely be selected with the first pick in the first round."

At that time, Embiid just smiled bitterly. He is no longer a little kid, he knows that this is just a lie Bamot told to comfort himself.

Indeed, Mbah a Moute was lying to him.

The No. 1 pick in 2014 was Andrew Wiggins, who was hailed as another "chosen son."

But Embiid was also drafted by the 76ers with the third overall pick. At that moment, Embiid truly believed that he could play basketball.

But in fact, if it weren't for the stress fracture of his right foot he suffered in college, God knows whether Embiid would really have become the No. 1 pick...

Although he entered the league as the No. 3 overall pick, Embiid has not had everything smooth sailing since entering the NBA. To be exact, it was downright unlucky.

Due to injuries in college, Embiid, like Griffin, the No. 1 pick in 2009, was directly reimbursed for his rookie season.

In the summer of 2015, Embiid underwent another navicular bone transplant surgery in his foot and is expected to recover for 5 to 8 months. This means that Embiid has been reimbursed for two consecutive seasons in the NBA before playing a single game...

Many people have forgotten this guy and this 2014 No. 3 pick. When it comes to Joel Embiid, even the most senior NBA fans will be stunned for a second, and then look confused, "This name is so familiar, but I just can't remember who it is."

No one has any expectations for Embiid anymore. No one thinks that a person who has not played an official game for two consecutive years can still survive in the NBA.

Even when the 76ers officially announced that Embiid was about to return this summer, no one cared.

But Embiid did not live up to the expectations of Mbah a Moute and the 76ers. This guy who caught Mbah a Moute's attention after only receiving formal training for 3 months started to go crazy in the league like a beast that had been hungry for several days. Kill!

On October 26, 2016, Embiid played for the first time on behalf of the 76ers, making his NBA debut two years later.

He started the game for 22 minutes and efficiently scored 20 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.

A few days later, on November 1, in the 76ers' home game against the Magic, Embiid only played 25 minutes and showed an all-around performance of 18 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 assists!

This made Embiid the first 76ers player since the 1983-84 season to score at least 18 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks while playing no more than 25 minutes!

On November 5th, Embiid continued to shine. He played 25 minutes in the game against the Cavaliers and made 7 of 13 shots, including 4 of 4 three-pointers. He scored 22 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 blocks!

The number of 4 three-pointers hit also set a new high in his career!

The scariest thing about Embiid is that his playing time is completely out of proportion to his personal data. He can often produce quite exaggerated statistics in a very limited time!

In this era of declining centers, Embiid's sudden emergence shocked the world.

His shooting, speed, ball control and skills fully meet the requirements of modern basketball for a center!

Now, Embiid’s legend has officially begun. From the initial disdain, people are now discussing where this guy's upper limit is.

Looking back on what Embiid has gone through, Mbah a Moute is very proud. Facts have proved that he was not wrong at first.

Of course, he knows that Embiid can do better and attract more attention.

Now, all Embiid needs is an opportunity and a strong enough opponent!

The Memphis Grizzlies and Link seem to be the best candidates and springboard.

Mbah a Moute believes that as long as Embiid can perform at a high level against the Grizzlies, his popularity will continue to soar!

It can even be said that the game against the Grizzlies is likely to be a turning point in Embiid's career and the starting point for his "one-goal fame".

If Embiid can win, then the next day, basketball fans all over the world will know the name Jon Embiid!

Mbah a Moute knows the strength of Link and Grizzlies better than anyone. After all, he and the Clippers had just been bloodbathed.

But for Embiid, Mbah a Moute is full of confidence.

It's as if he firmly believed that Embiid would be selected with the first pick in the first round.

That guy is a real genius.

On November 23, the 76ers will face the Grizzlies at home.

Before that, Embiid still has a long time to prepare.

Therefore, in recent times, in addition to paying attention to Embiid, Mbah a Moute is also particularly concerned about the situation of the Grizzlies.

What shocked Mbah a Moute was that the Grizzlies continued to win after beating the Trail Blazers on November 7, and their winning streak almost tied the entire league.

The Grizzlies' excellent state is quite detrimental to the 76ers.

But just before the game between the Grizzlies and the 76ers started, Mbah a Moute got good news.

Grizzlies main center Marc Gasol was suspended.