The Boston Celtics moved within a win of their 18th NBA championship with a 106-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. But during the game, Joel Embiid chimed in on the ongoing Finals series, going back to his roots of trolling on social media, but with the Milwaukee Bucks catching strays about Jrue Holiday from the Philadelphia 76ers big man.
Embiid has been known for trolling on social media, particularly on X, formerly Twitter, since getting drafted by the 76ers in 2014. The latest barb by Embiid took a shot at the 76ers Eastern Conference rival Bucks for an indirect move they made in the offseason.
Joel Embiid asks seemingly innocent question about Celtics' pivotal offseason move
In a post on X, Joel Embiid lobbed a loaded question directed at the Milwaukee Bucks over their move to let go of Jrue Holiday. “Did the Bucks give them [Celtics] the championship?” Embiid asked.
Prior to the 2023-24 season, Jrue Holiday was dealt by the Bucks to the Portland Trail Blazers in a blockbuster trade that involved Damian Lillard. Holiday was later waived by the Blazers, then was picked up by the Celtics in free agency.
Though Embiid's seemingly innocent message was directed at the Bucks for letting go of Holiday, they did not hold sway in the decision made by Holiday after he was released by the Trail Blazers following the trade.
Embiid himself gets trolled over Bucks comment
Following the post, Joel Embiid received multiple posts clapping back at his comments, particularly ones aimed at him failing to carry the 76ers past the second round.
One post by a Bucks fan showed the team celebrating their 2021 title win in the locker room in comparison to Embiid watching Kawhi Leonard's epic “four bounces” shot in the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinals. Another fan chimed in, saying, “Weakest [Eastern] Conference in history and you still couldn’t make the Conference Finals, [by the way].”
“How is a man who has never even grazed the Conference Finals talking about a championship?” said a fan, referring to Embiid reaching the second round three times out of his seven playoff appearances but never getting over the hump.
76ers future in doubt after back-to-back first-round exits
Significant health issues kept Joel Embiid off the court in the past 2023-24 season, appearing in just 39 games this season which played a huge role in him missing out of contention for the regular season MVP award. He averaged career-bests in scoring at 34.7 per game and assists at 5.6 per game, to go along with 11.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.
In February, the 76ers announced Embiid would miss several games due to a lateral meniscus injury on his left knee, which later required surgery. Embiid would return in early April, in time for the 76ers playoff run.
The 76ers, with Embiid playing through an assortment of injuries, would later drop their first-round playoff series at the hands of the New York Knicks. Now, questions are surfacing on the 76ers' future after the team failed to get past the second round of the playoffs, including first-round exits in back-to-back years, with Embiid as the team's centerpiece.
Follow Us
Subscribe