Joel Embiid’s missed a stretch of games recently due to a knee injury (aside from a Jan. 27 game against the Rockets), and he’s expected to miss Saturday’s home game against the Heat. That being said, he seems to be doing all right now, because during Meek Mill’s concert on Friday, he was seen on stage dancing shirtless:
Sixers center Joel Embiid danced shirtless on stage at a Meek Mill concert, and it was delightful
There has been some backlash because Sixers fans are frustrated with the disconnect between Embiid being injured and seeing him dance during his time off. But this is what our pals at Liberty Ballers had to say about the Embiid situation:
This does not mean every second he spends preparing to play his next game should be spent in an ice bath or engulfed by bubble wrap. Thirty seconds to a minute or so of dancing, whether it’s on a stage in front of thousands of people or in front of his bathroom mirror, is in no way comparable to the burden of playing a decent minutes load in an NBA game or even participating in NBA practices.
Hone in on that last part — Embiid has been in and around the Sixers’ practice facility constantly during his absence from the lineup. This is not a case where they’ve held him out altogether and have asked him just to rest. This is not like Andrew Bynum, when a guy coming off an actual procedure on his knee was out doing things against doctor’s orders and ghosting on the team otherwise.
And other fans agree:
And to top it off, Embiid was seen at Sixers practice the next day, with last night not being treated like a big deal:
The backlash is understandable, but let’s not forget that Embiid’s still a human who deserves to have some fun, who evidently still cares about doing work with his team, and when he’s healthy to play again (as the Sixers see fit), he will definitely add onto his highlight reel.
(h/t Complex)
