Joel Embiid has become an international star when it comes to the basketball world. Sometimes it’s his comedic antics that earn him the spotlight. At other times, it’s the genuine emotion he plays with, something that was on display after his Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Toronto Raptors in the playoffs back on Sunday.

 Still, to look back to where he started — coming to America with very little basketball experience — and to see where he is now, Embiid’s development has been just about unrivaled for players in such a short span.

Embiid arrived at Kansas and began the season on the bench. By the end of non-conference play he was drawing Hakeem Olajuwon comparisons. By the end of the season many felt he was the best-overall talent in the draft — one that featured Andrew Wiggins — but injury concerns led to him slipping to No. 3.

With that as the backdrop for Embiid’s journey, here is a story 247Sports’ Jerry Meyer recently shared on Twitter that only adds to the legend of one Joel Embiid.

Embiid, Meyer recalled, was playing at the Adidas Invitational in July of 2012. It was Meyer’s first glimpse of Embiid in a travel-game setting. (More on that, by the way, in a second.)

“Saw Joel Embiid in Indy in what might have been his very first travel circuit game in America,” Meyer said. “Was certainly impressed and went to his bench after [the] game for [an] interview.”

That would make sense considering, as Meyer would later report, Embiid played pretty well.

“[There was] no recruiting to talk about ’cause [he was] unknown,” Meyer said. “[I] asked for his number. He said 34. His teammates fell out laughing.”

Of course, Meyer was not interested in Embiid’s jersey number, but rather his phone number. Regardless, it was clear then that Embiid had talent. By the end of his final high school season, Embiid was ranked as the No. 13-overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite. He was the No. 2-ranked center in the class and a five-star prospect.

But going back to that event in July of 2012, Meyer noticed that Embiid was probably a little bit better than his billing. This, by the way, was more than a year before Embiid would begin playing for the Jayhawks.

Meyer wrote a story with the top performers from the event. Embiid, unsurprisingly, made the cut.

“He has only played basketball for one year and been in the States seven months, but 7-footer Joel Embiid is establishing himself as a bonafide high major prospect at the Adidas Invitational,” Meyer wrote back in 2012. “Playing for Florida Elite and supporting Chris Walker in the post, Embiid took advantage of a foul ridden Noah Vonleh with jump hooks with both his right and left hand. Defensively, he was a presence around the rim. And perhaps most impressive, he rebounded balls outside his area.

“There is a tremendous upside for this Cameroon-native, and coaches will be tracking him closely.”