76ers' Joel Embiid: 'Unfortunate' Ben Simmons Prioritized Being a Star Over Winning

Joel Embiid did not hold back when talking about former teammate Ben Simmons following Friday's win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Wells Fargo Center.

He told reporters "it's unfortunate that winning was not the biggest factor" for Simmons, who has since been traded to the Brooklyn Nets and has yet to play in a game this season.

Embiid went on to say "it's unfortunate that for him having his own team and I guess being a star was more of his priority."

The Simmons saga has been the overarching storyline for the 76ers ever since they lost to the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the playoffs last season.

Simmons struggled in that series, notably passing up an open dunk in crunch time of Game 7 and having issues on the free-throw line. Atlanta adjusted how it defended because he wasn't a threat on the perimeter, which made life more difficult for Embiid in the paint.

After the series, head coach Doc Rivers told reporters "I don't know the answer to that question right now" when asked if a team could win a championship with Simmons as its point guard. Embiid also told reporters the "turning point" in the Game 7 loss was Simmons not dunking when he had a chance.

That led to an offseason of trade requests and questions if the LSU product would ever play for the 76ers.

The trade finally went through Thursday, sending Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, an unprotected 2022 first-round pick and a protected 2027 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for James Harden and Paul Millsap.

Embiid wasted little time unleashing a viral tweet after the trade:         

Philadelphia can now turn its attention toward competing for a title with the dynamic duo of Harden and Embiid leading the way. While Harden didn't play Friday, the 76ers still had no trouble against the Thunder thanks in large part to their big man.

Embiid finished with 25 points, 19 rebounds, five blocks and four assists in the 100-87 victory.