Joel Embiid has risen over the last few years to become one of the best players in the league. Embiid was always considered a player with a lot of potential. But injuries in the early years of his career cast doubt on whether Embiid could become a star. Joel Embiid overcame those difficulties and became one of the best players in the NBA today. But Embiid is also known for his competitive spirit.
In a recent piece by The Athletic chronicling his rise in the NBA, Embiid’s teammates spoke about his competitive streak, especially while playing poker. His teammates noted that Embiid constantly bluffs about his cards while playing poker. They noted that Embiid will go to any and all extents to bluff his opponents into thinking that he has bad cards, and then gloats when he gets his way.
Justin Anderson: We play poker and this dude is the biggest bluff, man.
Kim Caspare, 76ers physical therapist: You can’t read Joel, ever.
Amir Johnson: He’s just all in every hand in poker. Sometimes in the casino, playing against people, they’d get pissed because he just says “all in” every time.
Anderson: He’ll bluff you hard and then after he bluffs you, he’ll let you know about it. In poker, etiquette is to keep it cool. No. There is none of that with him. He’ll immediately let you know: “I bluffed you, you’re stupid, ha-ha, look at you.”
Niko Roberts, college teammate: He’s just a troll in every sense of the word.
Anderson: It’s all a part of his game. Then he’ll have the nuts and the same person he bluffed earlier in the game — because he got them all riled up — he gets them right where he wants them and goes on all-in. Boom. They’re hating life because it’s Joel. If you know Joel and you don’t hate him at some point, then you’re not cool with him. If you only love Joel, I don’t know that you’re that close to him. He does things that will bring the best out of you. And he will make you just want to smack him sometimes.
JJ Redick, 76ers guard: When Jo first started playing (cards) with us he acted like he didn’t know how to play and it was very obvious that he did. But he played like the innocent dumb guy and all of a sudden he was winning big pots. He’s just coy.
Georges Niang, 76ers forward: So we were playing Kansas at Kansas. I think we were up for most of the game and they ended up coming back and winning. And we’re at the free-throw line, I’m standing next to him, and Andrew Wiggins hits a free throw. And he looks at me and is like, “Well, that’s it!” In my head I’m like, “This f*cking a**hole.”
Redick: There’s a level of just f*cking with people at all times.
In the same interview, a former assistant coach for the 76ers revealed that Embiid destroyed his children during games of NBA 2K and EA Sports Madden. Embiid is competitive in all walks of life, not just in basketball.
Embiid is considered one of the favorites to win the MVP award this season. But not everyone thinks Embiid should win. In fact, Rudy Gobert recently said that he would vote for Nikola Jokic as MVP. The MVP race is quite competitive, with players like Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic also in the running due to their excellent performances.
