NBA Expected to Review Joel Embiid Sitting Out in Denver
We knew this was coming. Anytime Adam Silver gets a chance to investigate the Sixers, he throws on his Kenesaw Mountain Landis pants and gets going:
“[Joel Embiid] didn’t enter the injury report, I’m told, until fifteen minutes before tip off, and for sure that’s something that the league will have to review.”@ShamsCharania on Embiid sitting out against the Nuggets.
📺: https://t.co/wdT8I0ST8g pic.twitter.com/i1s0i6jzzU
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 29, 2024
If this wasn’t nationally televised and some NBA exec didn’t get upset their precious “Rivalry Week” was ruined, this wouldn’t be a story.
But the illustrious Sixers vs. Nuggets rivalry was ruined. The media and fans have tried for years to pit these two against one another and I think it’s brought them closer:
Embiid and Jokic after the game 🤝
Two of the game’s best. pic.twitter.com/4rDQbOr2jT
— ESPN (@espn) January 28, 2024
Nikola Jokic on Joel Embiid: “If you’re a basketball, soccer, horse racing fan, Denver Nuggets fan, Philadelphia fan, whoever, enemies, whatever, I think you need to respect what he’s doing. He’s putting history in front of our eyes and he’s making it look so easy.” pic.twitter.com/5g2khIsudF
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) January 28, 2024
I’d watch a show of Jokic and Embiid watching ponies at Parx.
I actually hope Joel Embiid never plays in Denver ever again. Do it for the bit at this point. Keep having grown men dressing up in joker outfits lose their minds:
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Embiid just gave their king 41 points a couple weeks ago. Paul Reed gave him 30 and the Sixers almost beat the Nuggets with their backups. Instead of wondering if Jokic might be a liability defensively, we have Nuggets reporters questioning Embiid’s character cause he hasn’t played in Ball Arena in five years:
Nick Nurse on Joel Embiid’s absence tonight. Reaffirms it’s an injury that the medical staff became concerned with 20 mins before tip. pic.twitter.com/dxV4VdVIbo
— Jake Shapiro, but resoluting 📈 (@Shapalicious) January 28, 2024
Don’t get me wrong, I’d be saying the same thing about Jokic if he dodged the Sixers five years in a row now. But I’m over this rivalry because there is no rivalry. The discourse around Embiid ducking Jokic has gotten corny because every time he plays him he dominates:
They’ve both won their MVPs and received their accolades. The only thing that would re-ignite my passion for a rivalry is an NBA Finals matchup between the two.
UPDATE: Ramona Shelburne reports it was Joel Embiid’s decision to not have him on the injury report and that Joel Embiid wanted to play against the Nuggets. Apparently, he couldn’t even jump during warmups. It also seems like this is a pretty serious knee injury and will nag him for the rest of the season:
"[Joel Embiid] said, 'Don't even put me on the injury report, I'm playing in this [Sixers-Nuggets] game.' He went out and warmed up, he can't even jump… It was not even his choice."@ramonashelburne on Embiid managing his knee injury.pic.twitter.com/xMkPxtyDOg
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 29, 2024