It was an eventful night for Joel Embiid on Thursday. He was dominant in a Sixers' victory over the Boston Celtics, he let Rhianna know (possibly) that he has moved on, on national TV, but more importantly, he was named an All-star starter for the Eastern Conference. It's a landmark for Sixer fans, who will see one of their own start in the all-star game for the first time since Allen Iverson started in 2006, but it's also a landmark for Embiid, who has gone through so much in his NBA career already.

Through the two surgeries on his right foot that caused him to miss two seasons, through the internal struggle of having to deal with a minutes restriction and not having to play in back-to-back games when he came back, through dealing with a torn meniscus, it only took 63 career games for Embiid to be named an all-star starter. It makes this tweet from way back in 2013 all the more special.

I m gonna be an All Star one day #Motivation

— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) February 18, 2013

In the past few days, there has been some fear that the fan vote would not have been enough to get Embiid in the all-star starting lineup. He received the 3rd most frontcourt fan votes in the eastern conference, which would have gotten him in under the old voting format. But last year a new format was implemented, where the fans accounted for 50% of the vote, while the media and players accounted for 25% each. As the all-star announcements drew closer, media members like Kevin O'Connor, Bill Simmons, and Zach Lowe, along with a few others who actually had a vote, put Al Horford in the starting lineup over Embiid. Which is not only ridiculous but borderline disrespectful.  I get that basketball twitter --especially "smarter THAN YOU" basketball twitter-- wants to show everyone in the world how underrated Al Horford really is, which by the way, I agree!

But to say that he deserved the last starting spot over the best center in basketball is insane. Let us start with the fact that other than passing --something Embiid himself is getting better and better at anyway-- and shooting the three, Joel Embiid is better than Al Horford in just about every aspect. Don't even get me started on the main reason why these guys left Embiid off the starters list, ok, actually, I'm going to get started. 

They trotted out the classic "games played" excuse. Which is also ridiculous. Embiid has only missed 9 games, he has played in over 77% of the basketball games on the Sixers' schedule so far. He has played more games than Stephen Curry this season (I can't believe I'm typing that at this point in the season) and yet he is the Western Conference all-star captain. Curry should definitely be the starter, by the way, I'm just pointing out the hypocrisy in this "games played" nonsense. I could see the point last year. This year? No. Al Horford and the Celtics have also played 5 more total games than the Sixers have, so what are we even talking about here with this "games played" BS? Seems like people are just trying to move the goalposts. 

I hate to be the "it's not even close" guy, but this is a classic case of media overthinking it too much. It shouldn't have come to that.

But enough about me complaining. Embiid is an all-star and he is the first player from the 2014 draft --woah-- to be named an all-star. It also a landmark in the much debated "Process". All-star games are mostly for show, but for a player to get recognition from the fans, media and players that Embiid is one of the best players in basketball further solidifies one of the main points as to why this Process began. You need all-star players to compete for championships, and while we already knew Joel Embiid would be special, this is another stepping stone on the path towards that goal (barring health of course).

I'd like to take you down the short road to memory lane, counting down my personal top 10 Joel Embiid moments up to this point. 

10. His first NBA points

It was a spine-chilling moment for not only process trusters, but for Embiid trusters like myself, who thought he was the best player in the 2014 draft. Of course on the very next possession, he followed it up with a block on Russell Westbrook.

9. His block (ok maybe it was a goaltend) on LeBron James last year

Ok, it was a goaltend that wasn't called, but you know what. Who cares? It was badass that in his first career game against LeBron, Embiid showed no fear going up against the King. It was really a theme all night because he blocked LeBron 3 times, including twice in the 4th quarter. The Sixers did in fact, Sixer the game away, but Embiid showed he wasn't scared of anyone. 

8. Win over the Pacers in the 2016/17 season

It was the Sixers first win of the season, and it was a much-needed one because they had botched away a few games earlier in the year. Embiid came up with some clutch shots, and what is not seen in the video above was Embiid telling the coaching staff "I'm playing" when the game went into overtime. He initially wasn't going to play because he was on a 22-minute restriction, and he didn't play for the first 2 minutes of overtime, but the coaching staff let him back in, and he came up with a huge and-1 and some clutch free throws to put the game away. It really showed me his competitive nature. 

7. Embiid vs DeMarcus Cousins 

It was a loss but seeing the revival of big to big matchups have been fun, and this was also fun. Jo had 25 points while Boogie dropped 30 and there was some fun hand to hand combat between the two in the paint.

DeMarcus Cousins hardly ever smiles with the competition he is playing against during the game and almost never gives guys shoutouts afterward. Somehow, Joel Embiid made him do both, they even had an impromptu butt-slapping competition mid-game (that video is still the 4th most upvoted post of all-time on NBA Reddit. Never change Reddit). Cousins said after the game "I like that kid a lot, I usually don't give nobody props but I like that kid a lot. He has the potential to be the best center in the league...after I retire" 

6. Joel Embiid destroying the Thunder in a loss

It was another loss but this was one of the wildest games of the 2017-18 season so far. The Sixers looked dead in the water and went on a tremendous run in the last 4 minutes of the 4th quarter to force the first of THREE overtime periods. It had everything. Joel Embiid trash talking the Thunder, and pissing off Carmelo Anthony, erasing two of Russell Westbrook's layups from existence during crunch time and of course, Westbrook waving "bye" to Embiid after the game because Embiid fouled out Steven Adams and waved goodbye to him in the third overtime. Based on my skills as a lip reader, it looked like Embiid replied: "ok we'll see your ass in OKC". That game is on Sunday, January 28th, on ABC. I'm not missing that one. 

5. Kicking Andre Drummond's ass

After the first game, where he dropped 30 points and 9 rebounds in a win, Joel Embiid talked so much trash about Andre Drummond I almost felt bad for him. Before the second matchup, Drummond, of course, pulled the "he can't play back to back games" card, and Embiid dropped 25 on him, fouled him out, secured the victory, and caused so much salt that it even seeped into the bloggers over at SB Nation's Detriot Bad Boys. Seriously, this salt-filled article is glorious. The Sixers ended up destroying the Pistons by 36 in the third matchup, but Embiid is trying to start a beef with every center in the league, and I'm all for it. 

4. Embiid shredding Houston on national TV (2016-17)

This game, at the time, was awesome, even though it was a loss, it was a chance to show off on national TV and Embiid started off the game with a violent dunk over Nene. The game actually started out as the Embiid vs Nene show, which was...interesting, but fun. Unfortunately now we know that Embiid played on a torn meniscus during that game because the organization withdrew that information from us after Embiid initially hurt his knee a week earlier against the Blazers. At the time though, it was fun. I still feel bad for Dario Saric though, because James Harden put him in a torture chamber while on his way to a 53-point triple-double. 

3. Embiid erases Cody Zeller's dunk into oblivion

This is one of my favorite blocks ever, yeah it was on Cody Zeller, but Jo was cooked on this play, somehow recovered, and displayed some insane athleticism to block the dunk, not only that, he knocked the ball off of Cody Zeller out of bounds, giving the Sixers the possession. Great instincts all around for someone who started playing basketball in 2011. 

2. The defining January moment

This game was my favorite of the 2016-17 season. It was the apex of the Sixers January run, and it felt like a preview of what could be in the future if everything panned out right with health and development. It was a signature win against an Eastern Conference playoff team, and our soon-to-be all-star came up with fourth-quarter baskets and the game-sealing block. Listen to the Trust The Process chants at the end of the video. I still get chills down my spine watching this video. 

1. Embiid scorches the entire city of LA

This was the first stop on the LA destruction tour. Embiid destroyed the entire Clippers team with 32 points and 16 rebounds. Not only that, he trolled so hard that the backup center, whose name he forgot afterward, committed a flagrant foul on Jo. Embiid continued his trash talking. After hitting a jump shot in Deandre Jordan's face, Embiid ran back down the court shouting "you can't stop me. You can f--king stop me!!". Embiid took 16 free throws while fouling out "what's his name?", and Deandre Jordan.

It didn't stop there....

Embiid had his signature moment, and therefore, my favorite moment, so far in his young career. He showed out on national TV, in Staples Center, against the Los Angeles Lakers. Embiid put up 46 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 7 blocks. No one in history has put up 40 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 blocks other than Kareem Abdul Jabbar in the 80's. No one in NBA HISTORY, put up the stat line of 45+ points, 15+ rebounds, 7 blocks and 7 assists..... until Joel Embiid did. Embiid had 27 points heading into the fourth quarter of that game, and he took a sledgehammer to the entire Lakers roster to the tune of 19 fourth-quarter points. He was unstoppable that night. He also put his beautiful footwork on display. 

He melted Brook Lopez into the Staple Center floor with this Euro step.

He invoked Hakeem Olajuwon with this dream shake. He shimmied afterward.

It was an all-around historic performance for a guy who has played such little basketball, and it lit the basketball world on fire for one night. Hopefully, he will have many more of those nights, but it was his "you have arrived" moment, and he did on national TV for the world to see.

It has been a long journey to get to this point. Not just for Embiid, but for the fans. 

"I feel blessed, but it's not about me," Embiid said to the media on Thursday after hearing the all-star news, "I feel like it's about the whole Organization and the fans, especially after what we've been through for the past four years."