JOEL EMBIID and Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to terms on a four-year, US$196 million contract extension, ESPN reported Tuesday.

“There’s no place like PHILADELPHIA!!! Excited to continue working towards bringing a title home and eventually retire here #PHILLY,” Embiid wrote on social media.

His new deal will start in 2023-24. Embiid and the 76ers signed a US$148 million, five-year extension that kicked in with the 2018-19 season.

The 27-year-old Embiid was NBA MVP runner-up this season to Denver’s Nikola Jokic, making him eligible for the supermax contract extension. Embiid led the Sixers to the best regular-season record in the Eastern Conference. Under coach Doc Rivers, the Sixers lost in the second round to the Atlanta Hawks.

The Sixers tweeted a photo of Embiid and team owner Josh Harris with the contract that said, “@joelembiid isn’t going anywhere.”

“Joel is the definition of elite — a role model in our community and a true MVP-caliber superstar on the court,” Harris said. “Since he was drafted in 2014, his rare blend of skills, charisma and leadership has transformed this franchise. We couldn’t be more grateful and excited to continue watching him in a 76ers uniform.”

Embiid, the No. 3 overall pick out of Kansas in the 2014 draft, shook off more injuries and averaged 28.5 points and 10.6 rebounds last season. He tore cartilage in his right knee during the playoffs but played through the injury and was unstoppable at times in the post. He scored 36 points in 28 minutes in a Game 3 first-round win over Washington. He followed that up with 39 points in Game 1 and 40 in Game 2 in the East semis. Embiid was 11 of 21 and scored 31 points in Philadelphia’s Game 7 home loss to the Hawks.

“It felt like this was going to be our year,” Embiid said after Game 7. “If there’s one thing I want to say, I gave everything I had. It’s not easy, especially when something always happens at the wrong time. I was ready, this whole playoffs, to just come in and dominate.”

Embiid averaged 24.8 points and 11.3 rebounds over his first five seasons in the NBA. Embiid, a native of Cameroon, sat out his first two seasons with injuries and has never played more than 64 games in a season over his career. (SD-Agencies)