Joel Embiid fires back at shade from Deandre Ayton

Joel Embiid isn’t about to allow a newcomer take over his throne as the king of shade.

The NBA’s annual Rookie Photo Shoot was held this weekend in New York, and for one of the events, members of the 2018 draft class got an opportunity to draw sketches on their Panini America rookie cards. No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns drew what appeared to be an image of himself dunking over a player in a No. 21 Philadelphia 76ers jersey.

So . . . who is @Suns rook @DeandreAyton posterizing in his @PaniniAmerica Sketch Card? #WhoDoYouCollect #PaniniNBARookie #WhoIsIt pic.twitter.com/2tNE1fZzIs

— Panini America (@PaniniAmerica) August 10, 2018

That jersey, of course, belongs to Embiid, and the Sixers big man himself confirmed as much by tweeting some shade right back at Ayton in response. Embiid essentially said that Ayton was just a kid with an unrealistic dream.

I love when KIDS dream BIG #ThisIsWhyWePlay #WhereAmazingHappens https://t.co/o2SOGMJjIs

— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) August 12, 2018

Embiid, who was the No. 3 overall pick back in 2013, also took a shot at Ayton earlier this summer. Thus, it’s clear that the fellow seven-footer is on his radar as a new potential rival, both on the court and on social media.