CAMDEN, NJ – Clinical Daryl Morey was reduced to something far less than he expected, or perhaps briefly elevated to a moment, when his victory lap was halted by the most sobering of news.

The 76ers president was turned away by team personnel during his media day appearance, shortly after it was announced that Dikembe Mutombo had died Monday morning after a battle with brain cancer.

When Morey returned, his wide smile was gone, replaced by red eyes, a shocked voice and bewildered movements. He couldn’t bring himself to answer the next question about Tyrese Maxey’s rise, but he offered a personal memory of the Hall-of-Fame center.

“I knew him personally, we were together in Houston for many seasons, obviously very important for the Sixers franchise as well,” Morey said. “Just a wonderful person. When I was a rookie GM in this league, he was someone I always went to. We don’t need to talk too much about his performance on the field. Just a great person, what he has done for Africa off the field.”

It was the 76ers’ acquisition of Mutombo in 2001, after a standout performance in the Eastern Conference’s comeback victory in the All-Star Game, that brought him from Atlanta to Philadelphia, the catalyst in the franchise’s improbable run to June’s NBA Finals.

He was the Defensive Player of the Year that season, his fourth honor, and while that team could only manage one win against the mighty Los Angeles Lakers, it is fondly remembered thanks to Mutombo, and of course Allen Iverson and coach Larry Brown. and his sloppy mentality – along with two wins in the seventh game in reaching the final. Philadelphia hasn’t been to the Finals since.

76ers star Joel Embiid called Mutombo a “role model.”

“It’s a sad day, especially for us Africans,” Embiid said. “Apart from what he achieved on the pitch, I think he was better off on the pitch. He is one of the guys I look up to in terms of impact.”

Mutombo’s impact, which started at Georgetown alongside Alonzo Mourning and under the late coach John Thompson, clearly extended to Embiid all these years later when he finally picked up a basketball in his teens.

Embiid’s recent regular seasons have been Hall-worthy, but he’s still searching for that Mutombo moment when he grabs the ball and cradles it like he did in Seattle in 1994, when Mutombo’s Denver Nuggets shocked the top-seeded SuperSonics in the first round, the very first 1-8 upset.

Embiid has had several iterations of teammates after reaching elite status.

“Cohesion. That’s really all I’m demanding,” Embiid said. “If you keep changing guys every year, two years, I don’t think you’re going to get anywhere. If you look at some of the teams that have won, they’re been together for a while.

“For me it’s all about consistency.”

Embiid has been the constant, but he hasn’t been able to carry the 76ers over the hump. He removed Bell’s palsy against the Knicks in the first round, scoring 33 a night, while Maxey ran circles around everyone who defended him. It wasn’t enough, and doubts about whether the 76ers’ window closed before it opened became irresistible to discuss.

On a day full of unexpected sadness, expectations are still quite loud and unmistakable in Philadelphia. Morey pulled off a coup when Paul George shunned his hometown Los Angeles Clippers and resisted overtures from the Golden State Warriors to fit perfectly into the 76ers’ cap space this summer.

So while George is still a change, he plays the style that easily fits into how the 76ers envision themselves. He’s a malleable two-way wing, a steady plus-40 percent 3-point shooter who works well with the space Embiid will create through his mere presence and the gravity Maxey will force through his speed.

And for Embiid, George is the most consistent co-star he’s had since Jimmy Butler, and even though George missed significant time in three of his five seasons in Los Angeles, it’s better than Ben Simmons or James Harden.

It helps that George also seems to be over himself, having run the gauntlet in Indiana, Oklahoma City and Los Angeles.

“I’ve always seen myself as one of the best players in the league,” George said. “At first I wanted it to be mine, in a selfish way of pushing myself, wanting to be great. I wanted everything to fall on my shoulders. Going through it and dealing with injuries (in Indiana) and going against a competitive and balanced superstar team in Miami, you can’t do it alone. You know, you need star power. You need firepower.”

George is 34, the same age as Mutombo when he was rescued from Atlanta to play a big role alongside the little guy in Philly. Mutombo’s age may have kept Philadelphia from picking up more points for the title, but if history is any guide, these 76ers might have enough for a real shot at a ring.