Philadelphia 76ers legend Charles Barkley says current Sixers star Joel Embiid hates him.
Chuck told the Waddle and Silvy Show on ESPN 1000 in Chicago that Embiid doesn't like him anymore after his “lazy” comment:
“Joel Embiid hates me because I call him lazy,” Charles Barkley said, via Nick Friedell of ESPN. “Which, No. 1, I'm like, ‘Dude, you got to get in shape to play basketball.' They don't make him practice. It's like, well, he's got bad legs. That's not how you get your legs better. You work out and get your legs better. Get him in the pool or something like that. But he's a great kid, but I'm like, ‘Yo, man. You got to get in shape to play basketball.' So I'm going to do my job no matter what.”
Both Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal were critical of Embiid this season. The Sixers, despite having a record of 39-26 before the campaign was suspended due to COVID-19, were bashed by pretty much every pundit for their lack of consistent play.
Barkley and O'Neal are hard on Embiid because they know how great the Sixers star can be if he stays in shape and plays the game the right way. The Sixers' franchise center was putting up 23.4 points and 11.8 rebounds before NBA games were suspended. JoJo was shooting 47.4 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from beyond the arc and 81.4 percent from the free-throw line.
There have been a few rumors claiming that the Sixers could look to trade either Ben Simmons or Embiid this offseason since the two continue to be a bad fit together. However, those reports surfaced before the season was suspended.
The 76ers could also potentially decided to move Al Horford instead in order to create more space on the floor.
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