Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid
Philadelphia 76ers forward, Joel Embiid isn’t a fan of the Orlando bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
He let it be known today too.
“Yeah, I mean, I hated the idea,” Embiid said while on the Philadelphia 76ers Zoom call this afternoon.
“I felt like with everything that’s been going on, and it’s unfortunate what’s been going on in the world, obviously people look at it a different way. There might be some other reasons behind everything going on. To me, that part never mattered; all I want is to stay healthy, stay safe, keep the people around me safe. I want to be sure that I can leave for a long time and not have any sort of, I don’t know, consequences for the future.”
“I’m not a big fan of the idea, but then again I’m going to do my job and won’t let the city down. I’m going to go represent my city, and that’s what I’ve always done. My family and my teammates. The mindset doesn’t change. It doesn’t matter, the fact that I don’t like the idea and still don’t believe in it and I don’t think it’s gonna be safe. I know I’m going to do the right things. I don’t ever do anything, I only play video games. I’m always home. I don’t trust those other guys to do the same, but like I said, I gotta do my job.” Embiid stated.
Joel Embiid Considered Sitting Out Orlando Restart?
Embiid was then asked if he thought about not going to Orlando.
He was honest: “Opting out, I thought about it,” he said.
“But then again, I would not want to let my teammates down. I play in a city that’s tough and I consider myself as being tough. You can look at the way I play the game, just being physical, getting to free throw line, and I wont give up easily. If the current trend was people getting sick and a lot of people dying and you don’t know what’s gonna happen, you don’t want to be in a situation where you put your life at risk for money. At the end of the day more things matter than basketball. I have my family and myself to look after.
It’s unfortunate, but I want to represent my city, I’ve been here too long and this is my opportunity. I feel like we have a great chance of winning a championship. Still not 100% sure, but that’s what I’m thinking. I want to represent this city and don’t want to let my teammates down.”
Joel Embiid’s Start to 2019-20 NBA Season
Embiid is fresh off a season in which he averaged career-best marks in points (27.5), rebounds (13.6) and assists (3.7) per game. While his numbers are down slightly this year, they’re still good for the second-best of his career.
Through 44 games, Embiid averaged 23.4 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 47.4 percent from the field. Arguably the most impressive part is that he’s playing just 30.2 minutes per game, down from 33.7 last year.
With the Sixers currently sitting as the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference, tied with the Indiana Pacers for No. 5, they’re within striking distance of the No. 4 seed Miami Heat. Entering the restart, Philly sits two games back of Miami and 4.5 games of the No. 3 seed Boston Celtics.
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Joel Embiid Admits He ‘Hated’ the 76ers’ Orlando Bubble Plan