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Joel Embiid loves himself a bit of trash talk. The Philadelphia 76ers star has been a notorious troll throughout his entire career, both on and off the court. Despite his media persona, though, Embiid has proven time and time again that he's a class act off the court.
The recent proof of Joel Embiid's class is his gesture for undrafted Pelicans rookie Jose Alvarado. During the Sixers' last game against New Orleans, the two got tangled up in a small altercation, resulting in a double technical foul call on both on them. Recently, it was revealed that Embiid paid for Alvarado's fine, as he felt responsible for it in the first place. (via Tim Bontemps)
Embiid said he has watched Alvarado a lot and has a lot of respect for his energy. He said he appreciated that Alvarado didn’t back down, and felt bad that he got a technical. Said it was “the least he could do” to cover the fine because it was his fault he got the tech. https://t.co/GjR6hN6dv8
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) January 28, 2022
Despite Embiid's penchant for talking a little smack, it's clear that his actions aren't out of spite. Him covering Alvarado's fine is proof of that. The Sixers star talks smack to fuel his competitive spirit, not to bring down his opponents.
The fine for Alvarado and Embiid's technical foul amounted to $2000 apiece. While that kind of money is chump change for the Sixers star, it's a different story for Alvarado, who's on a two-way contract. The Pels guard even joked at Embiid that he couldn't afford that fine on his salary, which has some truth to it.
Props to Embiid, though, for helping out a brother and making sure Alvarado's money goes to helping his own family instead of a costly fine. The Sixers star's actions will help bolster his case for MVP, as he's making great moves both on and off the court.
