NBA Wordle #18
Thursday, July 23, 2026 · already played
The answer
Spoiler for the puzzle of Thursday, July 23, 2026. Today's puzzle is not revealed anywhere on this page.
EMBIID
Joel Embiid
C · 2014–2027
Joel Embiid's career
Joel Embiid played 13 seasons between 2014 and 2027, all of it with the 76ers. Over 490 regular-season games he averaged 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists, finishing with 13,544 career points. He was 1× MVP, 7× All-Star and 5× All-NBA.
He entered the league in the 2014 draft, taken 3th overall, a lottery pick expected to start immediately. That makes him a product of the 2010s, and his career totals should be read against the pace and rules of that period.
Across a long career of 13 seasons he was a primary scoring option at 27.6 points per game. On the glass he was among the players a team could build a defence around.
- Games
- 490
- PPG
- 27.6
- RPG
- 10.8
- APG
- 3.7
- Points
- 13,544
- Rebounds
- 5,280
- Assists
- 1,808
- 3PM
- 585
Teams
- 76ers · 2017–2026
Honours
1× MVP · 7× All-Star · 5× All-NBA · 3× All-Defensive · 1× Olympic gold
About the answer
The answer was EMBIID — 6 letters, made up of 5 distinct letters and beginning with E.
The optional hint offered that day read: “Played for PHI 2017–26”.
Why this was a fair answer
Answers are never obscure by design: the pool is every NBA All-Star who debuted in the 1969-70 season or later, plus current players carrying a real scoring role. Joel Embiid qualifies on the first route, with 7 All-Star selections — a perennial selection rather than a one-off.
A one-franchise career made the shared-team clue brutal: it stayed grey for almost every guess, and went green only for players from that same roster. He never won a title, which quietly rules out a large share of the most-guessed names.
Play it yourself
This puzzle is still replayable — open NBA Wordle #18 in the archive to play the round exactly as it was, or start today's puzzle. Archive rounds never affect your daily streak.