Joel Embiid takes major shot at Raptors

Apr 16, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) before game one of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs against the Toronto Raptors at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Joel Embiid might be playing for France at the 2024 Olympics. But he definitely will not be playing for Canada after the comments that he just made about their NBA team.

The Philadelphia 76ers star Embiid took a big swipe at the Toronto Raptors after they played each other on Monday. Philadelphia won in overtime by a 104-101 final score, but Embiid struggled from the field, going just 6-for-16 (though he did still end up with 28 points).

Addressing reporters afterwards, Embiid called out the Raptors’ play style.

“When you play a team like Toronto, they don’t really care,” the All-Star center Embiid said, per Sam DiGiovanni of ClutchPoints. “It seems like, most of the time, they don’t care about winning. They just want to shut down the other star players.”

Here is the full context of Embiid’s comments, which came after he was asked about the clutch performance of teammate De’Anthony Melton.

Full exchange: pic.twitter.com/IbsePyvpFe

— Sam DiGiovanni (@BySamDiGiovanni) December 20, 2022

The Raptors, who are just 13-18 on the year, are known for their physical brand of defense. Embiid, in particular, had multiple pesky defenders like Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby, Chris Boucher, and Pascal Siakam thrown at him during Monday’s game.

At best, Embiid is saying that he does not like the way that the Raptors play. At worst, his comments could be interpreted as an accusation that they are overly physical to the point of being dirty.

In any case, Embiid has it out for Toronto. The 76ers met the Raptors in last year’s playoffs, and Embiid did not care for them then either.