Getty Eagles tackle Lane Johnson
Leave it to Lane Johnson to pave the way. He was the first to let the Sixers know he has their backs in any fight.
The Eagles right tackle has made a living off hilarious back-and-forth trash talk, usually with the Cowboys’ DeMarcus Lawrence. Now Johnson has taken his talents to the NBA after telling Sixers stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid to “tag me in” the next time they decide to throw down. The funny comment was more proof the bond between professional athletes in Philly is stronger than ever.
Next time, tag me in! 💪 @JoelEmbiid @BenSimmons25 #PhilaUnite #Philly
Johnson was referring to the on-court rumble Wednesday night between Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns when the two big men got into a shoving match away from the action. It escalated very quickly as Embiid and Towns soon entangled arms and dragged each other to the floor. No punches were thrown. Perhaps the highlight was seeing a feisty Simmons put Towns in an epic chokehold. Embiid and Towns were ejected from the game, but Simmons stayed in.
BEN SIMMONS HAD KAT IN A CHOKEHOLD IM WHEEEEZINGGGG
Embiid Takes ‘Broad Street Bully’ Role Seriously
Joel Embiid was all smiles in his post-game press conference and embraced the battle royale between him and Karl-Anthony Towns. The two have a long-standing feud and the Sixers center has long prided himself on being an instigator, always looking for the mental edge through trash talk and physicality. This time it ended in a knock-down, drag-out fight — and he loved every minute of it.
“That’s what the city of Philadelphia is about. You gotta come in here, you gotta fight,” Embiid said. “You gotta play hard. You gotta be gritty. You gotta be a Broad Street Bully. That’s what it’s about.”
“But that’s what the city of Philadelphia is about. You gotta come in here, you gotta fight. You gotta play hard. You gotta be gritty. You gotta be a Broad Street Bully. That’s what it’s about.”
#Sixers Center Joel Embiid
The Cameroonian giant also paid homage to teammate Mike Scott by starting his post-game remarks with “First off, I ain’t no bitch!” Scott famously uttered the line after the Sixers were defeated by the Toronto Raptors in seven games. He was shedding light on his involvement in an altercation with Eric Bledsoe earlier in the playoffs.
Karl-Anthony Towns is Lifelong Eagles Fan
Did you know Karl-Anthony Towns is a lifelong Eagles fan? It’s true. His love for the gang in midnight green was on full display after the team won Super Bowl LII. Towns shared an emotional Instagram post where he breaks down into tears and exclaims “I’ve never been so happy!”
He was in Minneapolis for the game and was completely decked out in Eagles gear, including a personalized jersey that had “Free Meek” written on it. Philly-born rapper Meek Mill was still in jail at the time of the Super Bowl and the team adopted his hit song “Dreams and Nightmares” as their anthem.
KAT update: “I’ve never been so happy!”
Towns grew up in Piscataway, NJ and cheered for the Philadelphia Eagles as an impressionable youth over the hometown New York Giants. He clearly has an affinity for the City of Brotherly Love as evidenced by videos posted by the Minnesota Timberwolves prior to Wednesday night’s game. The Timberwolves center is shown leading his teammates in a run up the famed Rocky Steps, along with offering to buy everyone cheesesteaks.
Cheesesteaks on me after this run 😂
After the brawl with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, it’s safe to wonder if his opinions on Philly have changed. Let’s save that debate for another day. In the meantime, it’s pretty clear that Lane Johnson should send him an autographed jersey for his troubles.
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