Instead of Joel Embiid, Kevin Garnett appears alongside Adam Sandler in ‘Uncut Gems'

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Joel Embiid has a theatrical instinct.

The Sixers’ center has a knack for embellishing contact, enjoys asking the Wells Fargo Crowd for a little extra noise after an and-one and even shadowboxed after being ejected for his fight with the Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns on Oct. 30.

Embiid apparently was close to appearing alongside Adam Sandler in the film “Uncut Gems,” which will have a limited release in the United States on Friday and has received strong reviews.

“It was Joel Embiid for a very long time,” Josh Safdie, who directed the film along with his brother Benny, said on The Ringer’s NBA Desktop. “Joel made sense for the themes of the movie. It’s about this Ethiopian opal that gets smuggled into the city and this African player was going to basically reclaim it, and it was going to empower him. And then the schedule pushed into the season. We couldn’t use an active player anymore.”

The directors said they also considered Kobe Bryant and Amar'e Stoudemire earlier in the process.

The trailer, which, we warn, contains plenty of profanity, is below.

(H/t PhillyVoice)

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