Joel Embiid had a big message for the reporters on Wednesday night after his Philadelphia 76ers took down the Utah Jazz in a very controversial game. Not only Donovan Mitchell had something to say about the game but also Embiid, who had extra motivation entering this duel.
We watched another showdown between JoJo and Rudy Gobert, the highest-paid center in the league this season. The Cameroonian big man didn’t forget what the media told about him every time he faces another elite center, claiming he’s scared of players like Gobert.
“According to reporters, I’m scared of [Rudy Gobert] and I’m scared of top centers. As we saw tonight, it looks like I was very, very scared of him. So yeah, keep talking.”
Embiid explained that one of his goals is to win the DPOY award and that served as motivation for him to go against Gobert and beat him in a clash of titans.
“Going up against him, one of my goals is to also be Defensive Player of the Year,” said Embiid, via Yahoo Sports. “When you go against those types of guys, he’s a great player, he does a lot for his team that doesn’t show up in the stat sheet, but when you go against those guys, it brings something else in my game. I want to dominate on the offensive end, but mainly the defensive end. That’s the goal I set for myself at the beginning of the year.”
We are seeing rivalries between centers in recent times, with some of them involving Embiid. This is another one and he’s ready to prove he’s the best in his position in the NBA. The Sixers remain leaders of the Eastern Conference and the Jazz are the same in the West.
This could be an NBA Finals matchup in a couple of months and the Sixers star is already heating things up. He didn’t want to take a shot at Gobert but made it clear that he’s not afraid of anybody, although the media tries to push that narrative.
