Joel Embiid spent just 23 minutes on the floor Tuesday night, posting 20 points and 10 rebounds in the Sixers’ 132-115 win over the Wizards (see observations).
He also spent a fair amount of time in the stands, having a blast with Sixers fans.
Embiid took a seat at one point to get a different perspective and talk with a young fan on his lap.
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“It was amazing,” Embiid said of the view from the second row.
And he had no trouble recalling their conversation.
“I just asked him what his name was and how old he was and if he wanted to play basketball when he’s older,” Embiid said. “He said yes.”
NBA
Earlier in the game, Embiid gave a fan struck in the neck by an errant Bradley Beal pass a high-five.
Embiid is as beloved as any Philadelphia athlete in recent memory, and Tuesday night, he reiterated his desire to spend the remainder of his career in Philadelphia.
They show me a lot of love, and I feel like I’ve showed them a lot of love, too. A lot of times I need them to get going. Sometimes the game is kind of easy and I just relax, but I always need someone in the background to push me to play harder and keep dominating. That’s what they do to me. We have a special relationship. I would love to be here for the rest of my career, and these are the type of fans I want to play for.
Because of his league-leading 35 double-doubles, and his freewheeling trash talk, and his impromptu mid-game conversations in the second row, Embiid is the kind of player many Sixers fans want to cheer for.
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