The Philadelphia 76ers have been no source of fun at all this season. Owing to their meager showing in the entire campaign, the fan base has gotten stale across the board, with fans now being divided by those in favor of the team just bottoming out to get a high lottery pick and those still wanting the team to go all the way despite its putrid record.
Heck, the 76ers even fail from a marketability standpoint. They have been so bad that they did not even get a lone representative across all the events during the All-Star Weekend — a fitting development for a team marred not only by inconsistency, but micro-aggressions and misplaced priorities that thwart their overall chemistry as a ball club.
For his part, Joel Embiid belongs to neither, although he could perhaps be penciled in on the former. Yet part and parcel of his negative flair this season is, again, the injury bug, one that has been prolific it should now be deemed part of the roster as an imaginary force, a devil’s advocate moving forward.
Joel Embiid just gave the 76ers another enemy to deal with
But for those wanting a more climactic bit from this season, even for just a tiny bit, well, Embiid cooked something for you.
Netflix recently released Court of Gold, a documentary which displayed the behind-the-scenes of the Men’s Basketball tourney at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was certainly well-received, yet Embiid also made sure to steal some of the limelight for his own, albeit for reasons that ignited another fanbase.
In an interesting clip, Indiana Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton was seen “recruiting” Joel Embiid to come to Indy, only for the 76ers star to quickly shoot the idea down and say that he would rather retire than go to the franchise.
Tyrese Haliburton attempted to recruit Joel Embiid to the Pacers during the Olympics (via @netflix):
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) February 18, 2025
Haliburton: “You gonna come to Indy?”
Embiid: “Never in my life, I’d rather retire.” pic.twitter.com/twGV48MrLW
Of course, Pacers fans were quick to react, mocking Embiid for his dismissive tone and in turn, thanking the 76ers star in jest for not wanting to come to Indiana.
To their credit, Embiid’s stock is not as high right now. Not only is he perennially injured, but he is also already on the wrong side of 30. Meanwhile, the Pacers are thriving at the present. After a slow start to the season, they have come around and climbed the standings as the current No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.
It’s unlikely that the Philadelphia 76ers will meet the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs if they make it there, but for now, Joel Embiid will probably get showered (or sprinkled) with boos whenever he goes to Indianapolis.