"This ain’t WWE" - Kelly Oubre Jr. cites Joel Embiid's history of enduring hard fouls brushing off 'dirty play' claims on 76ers center
Despite the Philadelphia 76ers' 125-114 Game 3 win against the New York Knicks, Joel Embiid received strong criticism for his altercation with Mithcell Robinson. Following the incident, Sixers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. addressed the incident and highlighted Embiid's injury history while clearing the air about any intention of a dirty play.
The incident occurred in the first quarter with 4:25 minutes remaining after Joel Embiid fell to the ground from a strong shove by OG Anunoby. Following his fall, Mitchell Robinson received the catch from Anunoby with a clear shot at the basket. As he was above Embiid, the 76ers center immediately grabbed his legs while he was in mid-air.
"I've seen that happened before and I was on the other side of it," Oubre Jr. said. "So at the end of the day, like, I don't think it's dirty man. Jo has to protect himself.
"Let's go out there and play hard and nobody's gonna fight. This ain't WWE. So at the end of the day, stand on the stuff that'll say so we'll see tomorrow how they react."
The play was deemed a flagrant one. Joel Embiid played 41 minutes, scoring 50 points (13-of-19 shooting, including 5-of-7 from three), eight rebounds and four assists.
Joel Embiid talked about Game 3 altercation with Knicks center Mitchell Robinson
Interestingly, Joel Embiid cleared the air about his altercation with Mitchell Robinson during Game 3 against the Knicks.
He argued that he had no ill intentions with what he did to Robinson but pointed out that he wanted to protect himself from any injuries after what happened with Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga back on Jan. 31, 2024.
"Obviously Mitchell Robinson jumping and trying to land, trying to make sure he doesn't land on me," Embiid said.
"Because obviously we know the history that I have with Kuminga landing on my knee. So I kind of had some flashbacks, when he came down to it. It was unfortunate. I didn't mean to hurt anybody."
When it comes down to injuries, there's no denying that Joel Embiid has experienced troubling ones in his NBA career. This season, he missed 43 games due to a meniscus injury.
Before the untimely injury occurred, Embiid was averaging 34.7 points (52.9% shooting, including 38.8% from 3-point range), 11.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game.