NBA: Philadelphia 76ers Embiid Shushes Own Crowd, Gets Recruit From Jimmy Butler

The expectations were high for the Philadelphia 76ers entering the 2019-2020 NBA season. They were on an apparent meteoric rise in the previous year where they took the eventual champions the Toronto Raptors to a classic playoff series. It took the Raptors seven games and the once-in-a-lifetime game-winning shot from Kawhi Leonard to eliminate the Philadelphia 76ers.

All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons currently lead the team with key additions Al Horford and Josh Richardson. With the talent that the team posses, analysts and the fans believe that the team is destined for a championship run. While they are in the playoff picture, they currently sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 33-21 record.

Their effort has been criticized as they are expected to be a top 2 seed in their conference.

The fans definitely also noticed the team not living up to the standards that they have as they recently booed their own team in their match against the Chicago Bulls. The lack of effort in the third quarter was evident as the Bulls started making easy shots. This lack of defense prompted the crowd to boo the 76ers. The jeering led to Joel Embiid taking over the fourth quarter with clutch baskets, followed by putting up a shushing sign.

“I don’t care how it looks, I’m just playing basketball and I’m getting back to myself,” said Embiid after the game. He then took to his Instagram page and quoted his photo with the famous line, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”

Former Philadelphia 76er teammate Jimmy Butler commented on the post saying, “I know a place where villains are welcome.” To which Embiid replies positively to the comment.

The Miami Heat are fourth in the Eastern Conference and are known to be a tough group of guys to compete against. Jimmy Butler is one of the players who won’t back down from anyone.

It will be interesting to see if there will be any development on the possibility of Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler reuniting as members of the Miami Heat.