15 Months After ‘Fanboying’ Michael Jordan, Joel Embiid Emulated His Skills And ‘Destroyed’ A 5ft 7″ Man During Pick-Up Basketball

Advait Jajodia | 21/09/2023
15 Months After Meeting Michael Jordan, Joel Embiid Emulated His Skills And 'Destroyed' A 5'7 Man During Pick-Up Basketball

Joel Embiid is one of the most formidable forces in the NBA. Standing at 7ft and weighing 280lbs, there are only a select few players in the league’s history stronger than Embiid. While certain competitors can manage to hold their own against the Philadelphia 76ers big man, defending JoJo is a near-impossible task for most players. In 2018, Embiid surprised a few people when he showed up at a park in New York City. After doing his impression of an iconic Michael Jordan move, the center then pulled off a windmill to put a 5ft 7” man on a poster.

15 months before pulling off the iconic Michael Jordan pump fake in a park in New York, Joel Embiid met MJ. At a function during the 2017 All-Star Weekend, the two got a photo clicked. Embiid posted the photo on X (formerly “Twitter”) and paid his respect to the Chicago Bulls legend by calling him the “GOAT”.

Joel Embiid pulled off a windmill dunk while playing in a park in New York

Back in 2018, Joel Embiid played pickup in a park in New York City. As seen in the video below, Embiid was using all the flashy streetball moves in his arsenal. Apart from showing off his handles and emulating Michael Jordan’s iconic one-hand pump fake, JoJo went on to bounce the ball off of the 5ft 7” (according to Reddit) man’s face. Finally, the Philly star pulled off a windmill dunk to put the man on a poster.

As soon as this video of Embiid humbling a common man went viral on social media, NBA Twitter blew up with reactions. Of these, there were numerous that hyped up the All-Star.

Several other users also commented how the clip gave off “NBA Street” vibes.

The 2018 off-season was a really important one for JoJo. Putting in several hours in the gym, and apparently in the park as well, Joel’s game took a massive leap. Improving all of his major stats, Embiid concluded the 2018-2019 season with 27.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.

The New York Knicks are hoping to acquire Embiid

The Philadelphia 76ers have had a tough off-season. James Harden caused a bit of a problem for the franchise when he went on an emotional outburst during his China Tour. Not only did Haren call Daryl Morey, the 76ers’ GM, a liar, but also refused to sign a Philly jersey.

As if dealing with the difficulties of one star was not enough, Joel Embiid worsened the issue. Taking off Philadelphia’s location from his X (formerly “Twitter”) bio, the 2023 MVP has caused speculations of him wanting to part ways with the franchise.

Amid the fiasco ongoing in Pennsylvania, the New York Knicks have been reported to make a push to acquire Embiid. With training camp about to commence in a few days, it’ll be interesting to see what jersey will The Process put on.

Post Edited By: Tonoy Sengupta
Joel Embiid

About the author

Avatar photo

Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia, an NBA and Tennis journalist for The SportsRush, has had a passion for both sports for over a decade. His admiration for Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and Rafael Nadal pushed him to gain a profound understanding of the sports. With a background as a multi-sport athlete, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood and the court to offer insightful analysis. Over four years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 22-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 4,700+ articles.

Don’t miss these