From being the superstar that doesn’t want to play back-to-back games and someone that would just opt to sit out and go home rather than playing for 20 minutes a night, Joel Embiid has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. He may have multiple All-Stars,All-NBAs, and an MVP to his name, but it doesn’t take away the fact that Embiid has become the most hated player in the league. Here’s why
The Absurd Flopping and Whining
Seeing a 7-foot 280-pound center continuously flopping on the court is sometimes hard to watch. How much more if that same guy flails and drops to the floor every single time he gets contact just to bait a foul.
Embiid is one of the strongest and most skilled big men in the league, but being a foul merchant is a double-edged sword that could either boost his stats or just simply destroy his legacy. Either way, he doesn’t need to flop or whine to the referees every time. Since he’s also one of the dirtiest players right now, flopping just makes him even more ridiculous and obviously hated.
Embiid Choosing USA Over France/Cameroon in the 2024 Olympics
Joel Embiid is originally from Cameroon but soon obtained a passport and citizenship in France, making him eligible to play for the French national team alongside Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
However, Embiid raised eyebrows after announcing that he’s playing for Team USA instead, a team so stacked (James, Curry, Durant) that they were automatically the favorites.
Embiid received harsh criticism for choosing the easier way to win gold and blatantly forgets his roots. The French were, to say the least, utterly disappointed.
Not a Hot Take Anymore: Embiid Didn’t Deserve the 2023 MVP Over Jokic
Back in the 2022-2023 season, the MVP was only between Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic. At that point, the Joker was looking to win his third MVP award.
However, Embiid played great basketball and to even force his way into the MVP discussion, he campaigned against Jokic. Eventually, he did get it, but immediately bounced in the playoffs, making fans wonder if he did deserve the award.
Failing the Philadelphia 76ers Fanbase Over and Over Again
For the most part of the 2020s, the Sixers were an absolute contender in the East. Due to their good playoff runs in the past, the front office signed Embiid to a 4-year, $196 million supermax contract and even gave him with another $188 million extension that will allow him to stay until the 2028-2029 season, making him the fourth highest paid player in the NBA right now behind Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Nikola Jokic.
Unfortunately, Embiid hasn’t brought any success to Philly. He may have won MVP in 2023, but his postseason runs were far from the expectations. Actually, he’s the only NBA MVP to have never reached a single Conference Finals, despite the type of teams and co-stars he had in the past.
He has only played a total of 58 games in the past two seasons and injuries have started to plague his career, making it more unrealistic he’s going to win a chip as the Sixers’ cornerstone. He’s already 31 years old, and though he can still put up 25 points and 10 rebounds easily, injuries have already taken a toll on his body. Plus, Philadelphia is seeing great results with their young guys, especially rookie VJ Edgecombe, who’s taking the league by storm. With Tyrese Maxey turning into a legitimate star and Jared McCain returning soon, they could still be a great squad even without JoJo.
Still, despite the hate and backlash, Embiid is still undeniably one of the best players today. It’s just sad that he’ll just always live in the shadow of his biggest rival … Nikola Jokic.
