Sixers Star Joel Embiid Compares Himself to Football Legend After Bulls Win

Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Getty Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Joel Embiid, the superstar center for the Philadelphia 76ers, has a portfolio packed with basketball and basketball-adjacent investments. For instance, he recently added Philadelphia sports apparel company Mitchell & Ness to his portfolio, joining LeBron James and Kevin Durant as investors.

But on Saturday night, Embiid reminded everyone of another brand he’s owned ever since coming into the league: the Chicago Bulls. Wait, you thought the Reinsdorf family still owns Chicago? Guess again. Over the course of his career, Embiid is a perfect 12-0 against the Bulls, proving that he, in fact, owns the Midwest basketball club.

After yet another win against Chicago on Saturday, Embiid took to Instagram to celebrate the win. In a photo of himself after nailing a game-securing triple, Embiid captioned the post “Aaron Rogers.”

Rogers, the reigning NFL MVP and Green Bay Packers quarterback, famously “owns” the Chicago Bears, sporting a beastly 23-5 record against their AFC North rivals.

While Embiid was critical to the Sixers down the stretch, he was largely inconsistent through the first three quarters of the game.


Embiid Had A Mostly ‘Up and Down’ Night for Philadelphia

For the first three quarters of action, fans were treated to a performance they’ve come to expect this season from Joel Embiid. He was turnover prone for much of the game, finishing with five TOs, his second-most of the season. He also found himself in foul trouble early, forcing Doc Rivers to choose between keeping Embiid in the game or replacing him with Paul Reed or Montrezl Harrell.

Nonetheless, he finished with a game-high 25 points, shooting 9-15 from the field. And he was instrumental in nudging the Sixers past the Bulls, sinking a go-ahead three with seconds left on the clock. He followed that up by meeting DeMar DeRozan at the rim in the following sequence, denying the undersized guard.

“Embiid was up and down for most of the night, but was sensational late, nailing a huge three and playing exceptional defense on a late DeMar DeRozan drive,” Paul Hudrick of Liberty Ballers wrote after the game.

While Embiid’s heroics were excellent (and needed), the Sixers got a major boost from the bench on Saturday night. And no one was more important off the pine than Georges Niang.


Georges Niang Has Big Night for Philadelphia

Coming into this season, Niang was one of the few Sixers’ bench holdovers expected to retain a spot in the rotation. After all, the team went out and landed PJ Tucker, Danuel House, and De’Anthony Melton to bolster a bench unit that finished 27th in assists and 28th in scoring last season.

And coming into Saturday’s game against Chicago, Niang was getting time, but not always seeing those minutes translate. But that changed Saturday night.

Against the Bulls, Niang managed a season-high 15 points in just 18 minutes of work. His biggest contributions came beyond the arc, as he nailed three-of-four shots (75%) from deep. Niang matched that by going 6-8 from the floor altogether.

Doc Rivers hasn’t always been quick to rely on the bench this season. But after strong performances from Niang, it might get the Sixers skipper’s mind going. Also, is there any coincidence that the Sixers are now 2-0 in games featuring big minutes off the bench for Matisse Thybulle?

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