The Philadelphia 76ers were forced to navigate Game 3 in Brooklyn without their best player, as Joel Embiid was ruled out before tip-off as a result of a knee injury. However, the All-NBA big man managed to make waves before word even came down that he would be suiting up, and Embiid did so while harkening back to an event in Game 2.
During the Sixers’ crucial victory over the Nets, controversy arrived when Embiid was not ejected for an elbow to the face of Brooklyn center Jarrett Allen.
Jarrett Allen just took a Joel Embiid elbow right in the face https://t.co/wZCcob2wUp
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) April 16, 2019
Following the game, Embiid began to apologize to Allen for what transpired while on the podium but, before the full apology could be delivered, laughter broke out between he and teammate Ben Simmons.
As a result, Embiid and Simmons took some criticism for the non-serious nature of the way the discussion seemingly took place and, in speaking to Dave MeMenamin of ESPN prior to Game 3, Embiid clarified his intent.
“I was trying to be genuine, and I was actually sorry about what I did, and I actually apologized to Jarrett during the game,” Embiid told ESPN. “I kept asking him if he was OK. That was not my intent. I don’t do that type of stuff. And I just wanted to make sure that he was OK. So, I did apologize to him, and unfortunately at the podium, my teammate made me laugh, and it kind of took a wrong turn.”
Within the same interview, Embiid said that he “wasn’t laughing because of not being sorry” and that he believes he “probably should have been ejected” for the elbow, which he deemed to be “a bad play.”
“Like I said, that’s not the type of person I am,” Embiid continued. “I did apologize. It’s unfortunate that I laughed. … I guess it was surprising for [Simmons] for me to be kind of humble. Which I am humble, but when it comes to basketball, I like letting people know that I cannot be stopped and that I’m the most unstoppable player in the league.”
Staying true to his always entertaining brand, Embiid managed to slip in some bravado at the end but, in truth, this seems to be a genuine clarification and the chuckles appeared to be instigated by Simmons in the moment on the podium. It will be interesting to see what transpires when Embiid is able to return to action but, unequivocally, the lack of ejection in Game 2 played a big part in the outcome (despite the lopsided final score) and this could be a talking point for a while as a result.
