Joel Embiid really loves his new nickname “The Process.” What started out as a slogan from former Sixer GM Sam Hinkie turned into a signature for Embiid, and he currently gets introduced as “The Process” by the Sixers PA announcer.
Joel Embiid is trademarking ‘The Process’ for children’s books and Shirley Temples
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
So where does Embiid go from here? Merchandising. After the NBA Store’s Twitter account showed a new Joel Embiid shirt with his nickname on it, Crossing Broad did some sleuthing and found out Embiid, through his agency, had filed to trademark “The Process.” That in itself is not surprising, since athletes and various celebrities do it all the time. But what is surprising is a) he filed for the trademark twice and b) check out the list of things he wants to put “The Process” on (via the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office):
“Rubber bracelets; Children’s books; Non-alcoholic beverages, namely, pre-bottled Shirley Temple drinks”
“Cell phone cases; Apparel, namely, shirts, sweatshirts, shorts, sweatpants, hats, flip flops”
Judging from the dates, it seems as though Embiid was fine with applying “The Process” to shirts and whatnot, and then over a week later, he was like, “No, I want to be in children’s books, and sell my own Shirley Temples.” The Shirley Temples, in case you forgot, is a reference to the rumor that, during his time off, he’d gained weight from drinking so many of them. He clearly loves the drink, but he shrugged off the weight gain rumor with an Instagram post of himself looking buff.
Here’s hoping “The Process” Shirley Temples and children’s books actually come to fruition, because that’s some really clever merchandising.
(h/t NBC Sports)
