WATCH: Joel Embiid tells Tyrese Haliburton he’d rather retire than play basketball for the Indiana Pacers

If you ever needed proof that playing in middle America must be the worst, just listen to Joel Embiid’s unfiltered response when Tyrese Haliburton tried to recruit him to Indiana.

In Netflix’s “Court of Gold” documentary about Team USA’s Olympic run, Haliburton jokingly floated the idea of Embiid joining him on the Pacers. Embiid didn’t hesitate.

Joel Embiid’s Response:

“I might want to come to Indy. Sike! Never in my life. I’d rather retire.”

That is an all-time dismissal of an entire city, an entire franchise, and really the entire idea of playing basketball in Indiana. And honestly? I get it.

Joel Embiid on Playing for the Pacers: “I’d Rather Retire”

Haliburton: “you gonna come to Indy?”

Embiid: “I’d rather retire”

😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/9zlSJW4v7X

— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) February 18, 2025

To be fair, Haliburton had to shoot his shot. The Pacers have a fun young squad, and adding Embiid would instantly make them a contender. The odds of Embiid willingly playing in Indiana are about the same as Ben Simmons making five straight threes in a game.

The guy has spent his entire career in Philly. The Sixers may not have won a championship…yet, but Embiid has fully embraced the identity of Philadelphia’s franchise cornerstone and rightfully so. When healthy, there’s no denying that Joel Embiid is one of the best, if not THE BEST, basketball player on planet Earth.

Philly May Be Brutal, But At Least It’s Not Indiana

Look, we all know the vibes in Philadelphia right now are downright miserable. The Sixers are in one of their worst stretches since The Process, and there’s a good chance this season ends with a first-round exit, assuming they even make the playoffs, and a whole lot of soul-searching.

But if the alternative is Indiana? Forget it. Philly could lose every game for the rest of the season, and I’d still rather be here than watching Embiid spend his prime playing for a team that hasn’t been relevant since Paul George left.

Side Note: I wish Paul George stayed in Indy or at the very least, on the West Coast. What a disaster this year has been for PG in Philly.

Indiana basketball might mean something at the college level, but when it comes to the NBA? The Pacers are just kind of… there.

No disrespect (okay, maybe a little), but if Joel Embiid would rather retire than play for your franchise, you might have a problem.

It’s one thing for a guy to say, “Nah, I like it here.” But for Embiid to go straight to “I’d rather retire” tells you everything you need to know about NBA life in a small-market city.

Indy, OKC, Utah, Minnesota—it’s all the same. Nice places to visit, but imagine being an NBA superstar and having to live there year-round? No thanks.

Could things get ugly if the Sixers keep spiraling? Sure. But if the alternative is playing in Indiana? At least we can all sleep at night knowing that Joel Embiid isn’t interested.

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