“You Are Whooping His A**”: Gilbert Arenas Justifies Joel Embiid ‘Ducking’ Nikola Jokic in Denver

Joel Embiid usually ducks Nikola Jokic in Denver, that seems to be the common sentiment among NBA fans. He missed the latest Nuggets game at Ball Arena as well where his team lost by 35 points. While most fans are furious at Embiid for missing the iconic matchup, Gilbert Arenas seems to be more at peace with his actions.

Arenas said that there’s no doubt that Embiid is ducking the Nuggets star in the latter’s hometown. He even drove the point home with some gestures of ducking. However, Arenas argued that that’s okay since the 76ers superstar has an upper hand in their head-to-head matchups.

Embiid has won six of the eight games he has played against the Serbian superstar. But that record is obviously skewed in the Cameroonian’s favor because he only plays home games against Jokic.

Arenas said, “You’re ducking him there [in Denver] but you are whooping his a** when y’all do play. He is whooping his a** when they do actually matchup, he just ain’t matching up in his hometown.”

Embiid has an upper hand over Jokic in their individual performances against one another. In eight games, he averages 27.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2 blocks on 47.3% shooting.

Is Embiid ducking smoke with Jokic 👀🤔 pic.twitter.com/CkFLyVWzEs

— Gil’s Arena (@GilsArenaShow) January 24, 2025

The Joker, on the other hand, has managed only 22.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and blocks while shooting over 51% per game. Despite being arguably the most dominant player in the league in the last five years, Jokic hasn’t managed to dominate Embiid.

However, we do need to keep in mind that the last time the Philly center played at Ball Arena was in November 2019.

Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic have mutual respect for one another

Despite being perceived as fierce rivals in the league, Embiid and Jokic have a lot of mutual respect for one another. When the Joker was informed that the 76ers star would not be able to play in their recent game due to injury, he said, “My wish is that he recovers really well because he’s missing a lot of games this year.”

“I think he’s a great athlete, and I think he’s a great basketball player. … It’s a joy to watch him play, with how dominant he is,” Jokic added.

After their matchup in Philadelphia in January last year, Embiid told Jokic that “he’s the best player in the league.” Despite winning the game 126-121, he had no problem admitting that the Serbian was the better player.

"I just told him he's the best player in the league."

Joel Embiid says there's all love between the last two #KiaMVP's after their battle tonight. pic.twitter.com/84G3H70lKL

— NBA (@NBA) January 17, 2024

The reason why fans are always stoked to witness their matchups is because they’re the two most revered big men in the league. They’ve not let anyone else take the MVP trophy since 2021, showcasing their dominance. But the injury-prone Embiid has been a comparatively weaker player if we look at their respective overall numbers.