The 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend fit the bill as one of the most entertaining time of the year. To no surprise, there were memorable moments that took place. Of course, it would not be as such if Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid didn't make his presence felt at some point.

joel embiid
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He did just that during the Skills Challenge against Chicago Bulls power forward Lauri Markkanen when he advanced without even completing one of the obstacles.

Embiid acknowledged his blunder afterward on Twitter by taking the “if you're not cheating, you're not trying” approach:

“It’s not cheating, it’s called being smart.”

The Sixers have taken a cautious approach with Embiid's workload throughout the 2017-18 NBA season. However, he was an active participant in this year's festivities after taking part in the Rising Stars Game, Skills Challenge, and All-Star Game. Given that it was his first selection, it should come as no surprise that he would take full advantage of the occasion.

More importantly, Embiid managed to perform extremely well in all three events. He was poised to be the next in a line of star big men to win the Skills Challenge competition after it was owned by the frontcourt over the last two years. Embiid got off to a solid start by outdueling Boston Celtics center Al Horford in the first round. However, he met his match in the second round going up against Markkanen.

It's safe to say Embiid did all he could to try and win this one.

Joel Embiid
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Both players were neck and neck before Markkanen seamlessly dished his ball through the hole to move on to the next obstacles. Meanwhile, Embiid seemingly panicked after missing his first attempts and decided to just proceed with the rest of the competition. Unfortunately, he was unable to finish the process as Markkanen wound up beating him with a quick 3-pointer anyway.