Joel Embiid on Sunday had to deal with the sting of badly losing a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics. As if that weren’t bad enough, he also had a quote of his completely taken out of context and magnified by social media.
The quote, which we even shared at LBS, included Embiid saying that the Sixers have to get better because it can’t just be about him and James Harden.
Many thought that was an example of Embiid failing to take responsibility for his Philadelphia 76ers’ bad loss in Game 7, which notably included poor performances from both him and Harden.
Embiid was specifically asked what is the next step forward for the tandem of him and Harden.
Also, here’s the full quote from Joel Embiid on James Harden. I asked him what the next step is for the 2 of them and about Harden’s future. #Sixers pic.twitter.com/BzWPWPGt53
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) May 15, 2023
In his response, Embiid said the two have unfinished business. He also said it’s up to the front office to retain Harden. Further, Embiid said the team needs to get better all around.
Full Joel Embiid quote when he was asked about James Harden below. pic.twitter.com/BBnXrP1fIZ
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) May 14, 2023
When you look at the context, Embiid’s answer is completely fine and makes sense. But he really was made to look bad by those who clipped part of his answer and shared it via social media, or worse yet, did what CBS Sports did and edited Embiid’s words to actively remove context.
“Me and James, we can't win alone. That's why basketball is played 5-on-5. We need everybody to find ways to be better.”
– Joel Embiid after being eliminated 😬 pic.twitter.com/rxvWta1Eq1
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) May 14, 2023
The 76ers have gone six straight seasons where they’ve made the playoffs and failed to get past the conference semifinals. In fact, they’ve lost in the second round five of the last six years. They will finally break through one day, but until then, Embiid is going to have to keep dealing with media criticism — whether or not the criticism is fair.
