Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers have a big fan in former Sixers star Allen Iverson. The Answer has already claimed that Ben Simmons is playing beyond his years, and on Tuesday, he gave a ringing endorsement of fellow big Embiid.
Iverson appeared next to Stephen A. Smith on First Take on Tuesday, when Max Kellerman asked who his top five active NBA players are. Iverson had already said LeBron James was the best player in the NBA, but it was tough for him to pick the other four.
The clip starts around the two minute mark of the video. Iverson said “definitely” Kevin Durant, then went into his other three picks, including Embiid.
“You gotta say James (Harden) because he’s the MVP at this point,” Iverson continued before explaining why Russell Westbrook also makes the cut for him.
“Russ averages a triple-double this year, man,” he said. “I don’t know what you want me to say when a guy averages a triple-double back-to-back.”
Seems fair enough. But how about that fifth spot?
“I would say Embiid,” Iverson said to an immediately outraged Smith sitting next to him. Iverson said it’s hard to pick him over a player like Anthony Davis, and admitted he’s being a bit “biased,” but there are a lot of Sixers fans who will be very happy to hear that kind of praise.
“It’s a legitimate argument,” Iverson said, pointing out that it “looks like he’s been playing a long time.”
There are a lot of good NBA players left off that list, including every Golden State Warriors not named Kevin Durant. Call Iverson a homer if you’d like, but if he thinks Embiid is already there, the Sixers will be a very dangerous team for a long time in the Eastern Conference.
