Embiid’s Dancing Should Not be Looked Down On

The Philadelphia 76ers recently announced that Joel Embiid suffered a meniscus tear. Still, his dancing at a Meek Mill concert should not be criticized.

Joel Embiid — the name has become more than a player this year. It’s become a culture of sorts, and a sense of hope for Philadelphia 76ers fans. Maybe above all, it’s become a sense of comedic relief for people who follow him on Twitter in plenty of tough times.

When Donald Trump won the election and plenty of us were scared that he would ruin this country? Embiid Tweeted that the country was tanking, taking a playful stab at those who called out the Sixers tanking over the last few years in an effort to rebuild their team.

When the Patriots won the Super Bowl — an event that might have been more devastating than Trump winning the election, to some — Embiid said he thought maybe the league was rigged. Then he said that perhaps the Falcons were tanking.

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Embiid was in attendance for Meek Mill’s big show in Philly last week. It was a hometown show, and Meek brought friends, so it was expected to be huge. Plenty of Sixers were there, and Embiid was one of them. Meek Mill called Embiid out on the stage, and played one of Embiid’s favorite Future songs.

Embiid immediately started dabbing, and removed his sweatshirt and then his t-shirt underneath, baring all for the Wells Fargo Center that was then adjusted for a concert rather than a basketball game.

In the moment, fans loved it. Yes, character and charisma from a Sixers player. We haven’t seen this since Iverson. The next day, the Tweets with videos of Embiid’s moves blew up and went viral.

Still, others hated it. Embiid was out of playing basketball over the last several games due to a bone bruise. Why would he be so openly careless in front of thousands of people with smartphones that can reach millions and hurt the perception of the team?

It didn’t help that the information leaked the very next day that Embiid actually had a slight meniscus tear, and not just a bone bruise.

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When it comes down to it, this was something that Embiid probably did in the moment, and if he had the opportunity to go back and change it, perhaps he would. Still, even if he had the chance, he shouldn’t.

Let’s look back at the last player who had charisma like this in Philadelphia — Iverson. Iverson was criticized highly, and the last thing you’d ever find him doing is apologizing. People called him out for anything they could find. His hair, his tattoos, his clothing, his words. Anything fans or media had to call him out on, they would.

Not once did we see Iverson say, “oh, you’re right, this hair, these tattoos, my attitude, it’s bad for the NBA. I apologize.”

David Stern would have loved that. But no. That’s not Iverson, and it’s not going to be Embiid.

The next day, when asked about the dancing, Embiid was unapologetic. As he should have been.

Bryan Colangelo furthered his exile from the fans and players by expressing a bit of dissent over the dancing.

Look, this man has gone through a ton, and is still pretty young. Drafted in 2014, his NBA career seemed cursed from the start. Embiid was injured just days before his NBA Draft, and then spent the first two seasons of his career injured. He was clearly upset and hurt over the first two years of his career, and it often seemed like Embiid did not actually know how to smile.

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So, yeah, let’s look at that player who once had not one ounce of happiness in him. Let’s tell that player that he doesn’t deserve a concert. Let’s tell him that when he’s given the stage at a Meek Mill concert — perhaps the most Philly thing that could happen — he needs to stand there and not move.

That’s not the Embiid I want, and it’s not the Embiid you should want.