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Which NBA Player is Nicknamed ‘The Process’?
Even though the man behind the motto isn't with the team anymore, the spirit of 'Trust the Process' still lives on through a player who has embraced the nickname 'The Process.' Who is this player? Let's find out.
‘The Process’ refers to the strategy Sam Hinkie applied to the Sixers by trading current assets for future draft picks, aiming at building a robust team foundation. This approach has been the team's sanctuary, their guiding principle, and their justification for several seasons. It began under Sam Hinkie, the former general manager, and continued to evolve when Jerry Colangelo took over as the chairman of basketball operations, leading to Hinkie’s resignation and the subsequent appointment of Bryan Colangelo as the basketball president.
Yet it remains alive in the form of a player who's indeed a product and the poster child for 'The Process.' This player has not only taken up the nickname but has wholeheartedly embraced it for quite some time. But who is this player? Let’s find out!
Who is 'The Process' in the NBA?
Joel Embiid, truly a product of the 'Trust the Process' philosophy, adopted the nickname 'The Process' to honor Sam Hinkie, the former Philadelphia 76ers general manager.
Embiid has long used the slogan ‘Trust the Process’—a mantra for a segment of Sixers fans who supported Hinkie’s strategy to dive deep in the rankings to scout top-tier talent, a strategy they viewed as superior to the mediocre performances of previous years—as a regular tag in his social media posts.
Therefore, when Joel Embiid began referring to himself as 'The Process,' it wasn’t unexpected. According to the biography on his Instagram then, he planned to keep up this moniker, and he did.
Coming from Kansas as a top draft pick, Embiid's prospects dimmed slightly after he fractured a bone in his right foot just before the 2014 NBA draft. This injury caused teams at the top of the draft to pass him over, fearing a 7-footer with a history of back and foot issues might not recover. Nonetheless, Hinkie took a chance on him, selecting Embiid third overall, trusting that the medical team in Philly could restore his health and that his long-term potential outweighed the immediate availability of other prospects.
While the selection of Simmons—a star player chosen with the No. 1 pick following a lottery win—signifies the goal Hinkie aimed for during his time with Philadelphia, it is Embiid who best symbolizes ‘The Process’ Hinkie implemented in his quest for success.
Why did Joel Embiid choose 'The Process' as his nickname?
On The Draymond Green Show, Embiid said he was unhappy with how the league pushed Sam Hinkie out and replaced him with Bryan Colangelo. Hinkie's plan to rebuild the Sixers, called ‘The Process,’ inspired Embiid to adopt the nickname to honor Hinkie's legacy.
In Embiid's words, "You know what? I'm going to support my man because he drafted me. Coming out of college, before I got drafted, he believed in me. I was hurt, but he still believed in me. So, I was like, you know what, I'm going to support him."
What exactly is 'Trust the Process'?
When 76ers fans chant ‘Trust the Process,’ they refer to Sam Hinkie's strategy implemented when he took over before the 2013-14 season. The phrase originated from former 76ers guard Tony Wroten, who said it in an interview with ESPN's Pablo Torre.
‘The Process’ was Hinkie's plan to gather top talent by acquiring as many assets—draft picks, young players, trade-friendly contracts—as possible and using them to bring in a superstar.
When Philadelphia started ‘The Process’, they were coming off a 34-48 season, finishing ninth in the East after trading Andre Iguodala for Andrew Bynum, who never played for them.
Hinkie focused on trading players for maximum return, either more draft picks or increasing the team's chances at a top draft pick by making the team worse. He gathered second-round picks, undrafted free agents, and G-League players who were cheap, could become key pieces, were easy to trade, and helped in the short-term plan to lose for higher draft picks.
Though tanking was the most discussed part of ‘The Process’, the team aggressively sought draft picks through trades and used those picks for higher draft picks or tradable players.
Joel Embiid, now representing Team USA in the Olympics, eventually became the face of ‘The Process’, which has also become his personal nickname among 76ers fans.
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