The Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, the 2023 first overall pick and 7-foot-4 unicorn, made his first appearance against the Sixers in Philadelphia on Monday. On the bench was former Sixers head coach Brett Brown, now an assistant on Gregg Popovich’s staff.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Joel Embiid was a tantalizing young big man that Brown was charged with fostering. While Embiid was beset by injuries for two years before making his NBA debut, Brown knew how uniquely gifted the team’s prized prospect was. By the end of his time here, Brown took to calling Embiid “the crown jewel” of the Sixers’ offense.