Cameroonian countrymen Joel Embiid and Pascal Siakam are already starting a bit of fun ahead of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors.
Embiid is a native of Yaounde, while Siakam hails from Douala. This is enough to serve as a starting point for what appears to be some friendly trash talk between the two players. Siakam kicked it off with comments he made Thursday.
Siakam said he's looking forward to facing countryman Embiid but joked about the friendly rivalry between their home cities in Cameroon. "Im from Douala, he's from Yaounde. (People are) like 'At the end of the day Cameroon wins', I'm like 'Nah, at the end of the day Douala wins'"
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 25, 2019
Siakam: "I think there's always been this little rivalry between Douala, where I'm from, and Yaounde, where (Embiid's) from, and always trying to figure out where the best player comes from. It's definitely fun playing against him and it's kinda that city vs city matchup."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 25, 2019
On Saturday, Embiid responded, saying that he “obviously” comes from the superior city.
Joel Embiid: "(Siakam's) from Douala, I’m from Yaoundé. Obviously Yaoundé is the better city. It’s the capital of Cameroon. So I’m going to try to win it for Yaoundé."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 27, 2019
There’s clearly mutual respect between the two, and it’s nothing like some of the jawing Embiid engaged in against his last opponents. Things will be competitive on the court, but this appears poised to be more good-natured.
