Although athletes trolling is quite typical during the year, it can get a bit out of hand during the NBA offseason. Cryptic posts leave unsuspecting fans in suspense and needlessly amp up stress levels. Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid is a leading culprit. Though, the reigning MVP and Sixers' superstar's latest alleged trolling is just plain cruel.

Embiid sparked a lot of buzz and anxiety in Philly after his recent comments in an interview. “I just want to win a championship,” he said, via AJ Torres. “Whatever it takes. I don't know where that's gonna be. Whether it's in Philly or anywhere else.” While panic quickly set in with the fandom, Embiid continued to stoke the flames on Twitter.

“We’re in this together forever… 5 DAYS,” he tweeted Monday morning. The flippant response drew skepticism and criticism from one fan. ’”Id like to win a championship in Philly or somewhere else. The somewhere else was unnecessary tbh,” CatchallOtherBin replied. The 29-year-old big man offered an explanation.

“Buddy Check my middle name,” Embiid said, referencing the “Troel” in his Twitter handle. There is no positive way to view this whole situation. Either the six-time All-Star pointlessly and irresponsibly decided to have some fun at fans' expense, or he is doing some damage control after seeing how his comment blew up among the public. The benefit of the doubt must be afforded in this case, since there is no actual evidence to question Joel Embiid's “trolling” claims.

In any case, fans have nothing to worry about in the immediate future. The face of the franchise should remain intact for this upcoming season, at the very least, with no other warning signs popping up. He and the Sixers will again be in the mix for Eastern Conference supremacy, hoping to finally book a ticket to the NBA Finals in 2024.

But after another devastating postseason result and with James Harden's status still uncertain, people are not going to have much patience for social media horseplay.