Fans chant ‘MVP’ for Joel Embiid during his fantastic 76ers debut
It doesn’t matter if you are a KU fan or a Philadelphia 76ers supporter, this has to make you happy to see.
Former Jayhawks star Joel Embiid finally made his NBA debut on Wednesday night and had 20 points and seven rebounds. As The Star’s Jesse Newell noted, Embiid never had a 20-point game at KU but did so in his pro debut.
Oklahoma City beat Philadelphia 103-97, but that didn’t stop 76ers fans from chanting MVP when Embiid shot free throws (!).
Philly fans are chanting MVP at Embiid! The NBA is going to be great this year. https://t.co/4qM7RpjWyJ
— Not Bill Walton (@NotBillWalton) October 27, 2016
Here are the highlights and you can see why fans were fired up in Philadelphia:
Do yourself a favor and watch these highlights with sound. pic.twitter.com/GqubRZ29G0
— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) October 27, 2016
Embiid, who was the third overall pick by the 76ers pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, missed the first two seasons because a broken bone in his foot didn’t heal. Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated wrote an excellent story on what Embiid has had to deal with since leaving KU.
This is why it’s so nice to see Embiid succeed in his first game in the NBA. After Wednesday’s game, Embiid went to social media to thank 76ers fans:
Pete Grathoff: 816-234-4330, @pgrathoff