Philadelphia radio host Howard Eskin has made some explosive claims regarding superstar big man Joel Embiid. As news broke regarding Embiid missing the Christmas Day game against the Miami Heat, Eskin stated the reigning MVP never wanted to play in Miami on Christmas in the first place, and now found a way to not go there.
“Interesting that Joel Embiid is out of Sixers’ Christmas night game in Miami with what is being reported as injury. I was told a week ago he told/asked team officials to get him private plane to fly out day of game (team left Christmas Eve) so he could be home Christmas morning. He fell in 1st qt of Friday night game yet played entire game. Embiid never wanted to go to Miami on Christmas. Found way not to go at all. Merry Christmas.”
Interesting that Joel Embiid is out of #Sixers Christmas night game in Miami with what is being reported as injury. I was told a week ago he told/asked team officials to get him private plane to fly out day of game (team left Christmas Eve) so he could be home Christmas morning.…
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) December 24, 2023
That’s a big accusation to make on Eskin’s part that this was just an excuse to not go to Miami on Christmas. He seems to be implying that the ankle sprain Embiid suffered in the first quarter against the Toronto Raptors wasn’t all that serious, as he kept playing.
When a fan called him out by stating that Embiid was visibly hobbled during the game, Eskin stated he was just chasing stats.
“Embiid was selfish he wanted his 30-point game.”
Embiid was selfish he wanted his 30 point game.
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) December 25, 2023
Embiid is, of course, currently on a historic run, having put up 30+ points and 10+ rebounds in 13 consecutive games, after recording 31 points and 10 rebounds against the Raptors. We obviously can’t say for sure whether that’s why he stayed in the game, but we can add record chasing to the list of accusations made by the radio host here.
Anyone who has followed the Philadelphia 76ers closely would know Eskin is a rather controversial figure among the fanbase. He has been accused of making up stories in the past, so I would take whatever he says with a grain of salt.
Eskin Says Joel Embiid Is Not A Leader
Eskin unsurprisingly received a lot of pushback for putting this out. 76ers fans accused him of fabricating news again and in response, he took another shot at Embiid.
“Leaders don’t bail on their team. Oops, Embiid is not a leader.”
Leaders don’t bail on their team. Oops, Embiid is not a leader.
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) December 24, 2023
Safe to say Eskin certainly isn’t trying to be a beloved figure in Philadelphia. Embiid’s leadership has been questioned at times, but if he was bailing on his team as Eskin suggests, then that locker room would have no respect for him. There has been no suggestion whatsoever of that being the case, though.
Joel Embiid Could Win MVP Again
Despite all the talk about Embiid supposedly avoiding playing on the road against good teams, he is probably leading the MVP race at the moment. The 29-year-old is averaging 35.0 points, 11.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game this season.
Those are some ridiculous numbers and he deserves a lot of respect for how well he has played. After his 51-point outing against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards gave a glowing review of Embiid, as he stated the big man is unstoppable.
Embiid has also led the Sixers to a 20-8 record in 2023-24 and they look set to be one of the top three seeds in the East, provided he stays relatively healthy. If the six-time All-Star can keep up those averages and help his team secure one of those top three seeds, I think he will take home the award and become a back-to-back MVP.
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