Joel Embiid is having another stellar season with the Philadephia 76ers, however he was not selected for a starting spot in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game.
The superstar big man finished behind Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum, due to Tatum finishing third to Embiid’s fourth in the fan portion of the voting and hence he missed the chance of being a starter for a sixth straight year.
The Eastern Conference #NBAAllStar Starters Pool!@Giannis_An34 (Captain)@KDTrey5@KyrieIrving@spidadmitchell@jaytatum0 pic.twitter.com/u2lWl3QSk7
— NBA (@NBA) January 27, 2023
While speaking with the media after Saturday’s home win over the West leaders Denver Nuggets, Joel Embiid said it was ‘a little disrespectful’ not to be selected as a starter, but it didn’t come as a surprise to him.
“I’m used to it,” Embiid said, via Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “It’s not the first time. I think it’s more of a motivation to go out and win the whole thing. That’s the only way I’m probably going to get that respect.
I was not surprised. I think it’s well documented that I’m not well-liked. That’s cool. I don’t know it’s because I troll a lot or that I guess I’m an a–hole.
But it’s cool. I keep being me. I keep being an a–hole, and I keep trolling, and if people don’t like it, that’s their problem. But like I said, it all goes back to winning,” the superstar of the Sixers, who is averaging a league-leading 33.8 points, added.
Joel Embiid had 47 points, 18 rebounds and five assists to lead the Sixers back from a 15-point deficit in defeating the Nuggets (119-126) and extending their winning streak to seven games.
Philadelphia has now won 12 of its last 14 and is second in the East standings with a 32-16 record, 2.5 games behind the Celtics (36-15). Meanwhile, Denver fell to 34-16, but stayed on top of the West.
