Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby isn’t for everyone but it can certainly provide entertainment. The 2017 edition included a first round that featured a battle between Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton and New York’s Gary Sanchez that was utterly magical, and that was just the beginning. This year’s event also featured a (very) high-profile fan scrapping for home run balls in the outfield stands.
That fan is Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid.
Did Embiid get a piece of that homer? pic.twitter.com/JGVK9oAQD9
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) July 11, 2017
Yes, that is a seven-foot professional basketball player going hard after a home run ball and seemingly enjoying himself quite a bit. It isn’t crazy that Embiid would be at the event itself but, considering how far away his seats are from the plate, the always entertaining big man would almost have to be prioritizing the ability to go home with a souvenir ball.
https://twitter.com/vineydelnegro/status/884590534664134657
Oh and, uh, Joel Embiid’s hands make a baseball look comically small.
Joel Embiid holding a baseball looks like me holding a golf ball pic.twitter.com/RUrLJxBEEU
— Ben Harris (@byBenHarris) July 11, 2017
And he isn’t playing around.
I killed a lion with my bare hands so I'm great lmao #TheProcess
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 11, 2017
Watching the ESPN broadcast can be a pleasurable experience even for the most casual baseball fan, as big, strong hitters blasting baseballs over 480 feet routinely is good theater. Still, it is another layer altogether when Joel Embiid is actually in the mix and, if he isn’t in Las Vegas watching his team play in NBA Summer League, this is a strong alternative.
