Joel Embiid is known as an athlete that is particularly adept at using social media, particularly Twitter. We have often seen Joel Embiid post hilarious memes that are relevant to the happenings in the NBA, and that has happened recently.
After the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Miami Heat, Joel Embiid posted a meme featuring the character Stringer Bell from The Wire. While there was no caption on his particular Tweet, the image is generally associated with the words “I want you to put the word out there that we back up”, and it’s clear that Joel Embiid is insinuating that the 76ers are “back up” with his return.
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) May 7, 2022
In this scene from The Wire, Stringer Bell says "I want you to put the word out there that we back up. You understand me? We back up."
Embiid: "Twitter has nothing to do with basketball, it's just me, my personality, just having fun…We're not back up. That's not even close." https://t.co/RQ1GAdJN1X
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) May 7, 2022
There’s no doubt that this is a relatively relevant meme to the current state of the Philadelphia 76ers. They are clearly a much better team with Joel Embiid present, as he opens up things for everyone else. The defensive attention that he commands on the interior is immense, and that often means his teammates get easy shots on the perimeter.
Hopefully, we see Joel Embiid suffer no further complications with his orbital fracture. It was definitely good to see him be able to play. Prior to the series, Jimmy Butler even noted that the Miami Heat wanted Joel to play, and added that he felt bad for his friend.
“I feel bad for my guy. My former teammate, arguably the MVP of this league. I think I speak for everybody that’s a part of this team, we want Joel to play. I hope he recovers well and gets back very, very soon.”
Joel Embiid’s return could change the outcome of this series. The Philadelphia 76ers dominated the Miami Heat in Game 3, and hopefully, we see that continue in the future.
Of course, the Philadelphia 76ers have an uphill battle in terms of coming back in the series and beating the Miami Heat. However, with Joel Embiid present, it would be unwise to count them out.
