"Philly fans, y'all also gotta be better" Joel Embiid recalls time when Philadelphia 76ers fans wanted him to be traded
The 7'0" Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid recently took to social media to remind the Philadelphia fans of what he experienced two years ago.The incident refers to the February of 2020 when the team's fans booed him in the pre-game.
Here's the tweet:
Embiid is without a doubt an exceptional player. Playing in only his fifth season, he sat out his first two seasons in the league due to multiple foot and knee injuries, and he averaged 28.5 points and 10.6 rebounds.
Joel Embiid recalls time when Philadelphia 76ers fans wanted him to be traded
Embiid in his tweet directed the following at the Philadelphia 76ers fans:
I haven’t forgotten but 2 years ago, I got booed, people in Philly wanted me to be traded. I even shushed them. Only the real ones didn’t but I just put the work in that offseason to be better cuz I knew I wasn’t playing up to my potential. Philly fans, y’all also gotta be better
The 20016-17 Rookie of the Year Joel Embiid's tweet comes ahead of Ben Simmons' clear outspoken desire to leave the Philadelphia 76ers. It might be a clear instruction to Philly fans not to malign or throw hate at the Australian star on his way out of the team.
No team has such an idealistic thing as perfect fans. With such high octane games and immersion, things can often get out of control. It is acceptable as long as the energy and the disappointment is not directed at an individual or does not influence bad stadium behavior.
That being said, Joel Embiid is right to remind his fans to be more corteous and aware of the repercussions of their words and actions. After all, the Philadelphia 76ers fans have had more than their fair share of outlandishly bad behavior inside and outside the stadium.
In fact, after a 2021 playoffs game between the Washington Wizards and the Philadelphia 76ers, Philly fans dumped popcorn on Russell Westbrook as he exited the arena after playing against Joel Embiid. In response, Westbrook was enraged and expressed his dissatisfaction in the post-game interview. He said,
"To be honest, this sh*t is getting out of hand, especially for me. The amount of disrespect, the amount of fans just doing whatever the f*ck they want to do. It’s just out of pocket, man. Seriously. In the other setting I'm all for the fans enjoying the game, having fun. It's part of sports, I get it. But there are certain things that cross the line."
The 2021 post-season saw the Philadelphia 76ers and other teams' fans return to the arenas after a long hiatus. But with their return, for players like Joel Embiid to be concerned about the fans' actions and behavior, it is by all means justified.
Also Read: What is Joel Embiid’s Current Contract?