Bringing Up Allen Iverson, Philadelphia Rapper Gillie Frustrated by “Greatest Player” Joel Embiid’s Inconsistent Play

The patience of the Philadelphia basketball fanbase with Joel Embiid is slowly running out—at least according to one fan in particular, local rapper Gillie Da Kid. He recently shared some of his thoughts on the 2023 MVP during an appearance on Podcast P with Paul George.

After George stated it was hard for the 76ers to win with Embiid out with injury for the majority of the season, Gillie said, “I represent the real Philadelphia fan. And we f*ing frustrated, bro. Bro… you played damn near just as many games as you didn’t play. Rebuild all this sh**.”

Gillie’s annoyance wasn’t unfounded either, as in the last three seasons, the big man has missed a combined total of 97 games.

It wasn’t all negativity toward Embiid, though. In fact, Gillie called the 31-year-old star the best basketball player on the planet. “There ain’t no doubt to me that Joel Embiid is the best f***ing player on the planet,” he said. “The only difference is, we don’t know what the f**k we gonna get every night.”

George, who joined Philadelphia in the 2024 off-season, and the others on the podcast could only watch as Gillie continued to vent. At one point, he joked that Embiid was capable of dropping 50 points and grabbing 20 rebounds one night, only to come out the next game and “settle for 17-footers all day.”

This prompted the ‘Tryna Get Me One’ star to bring up another Philly basketball legend—someone he claimed earned the fans’ respect for something far more important than just winning.

“We like to see effort. Allen Iverson didn’t win sh**. He will always be the GOAT around this motherf***er because he put in 100% effort. He left everything on the floor,” the rapper barked. He then mentioned famed Eagles safety Brian Dawkins as another athlete who gave his all every single time he played for the city.

Iverson did take the Sixers to the NBA Finals once (in 2001), which is more than the squad can say with Embiid at the helm—they haven’t made it past the second round. And it wasn’t just about wins. Iverson drastically changed the image of the game. He may not have a ring, but his influence is still felt to this day.

True basketball fans, Gillie presumably among them, want to see a healthy Embiid return to the court at his best. His presence makes the NBA more exciting. Still, some doctors have questioned whether the surgeries he underwent were the right call, while retired players have urged him to lose weight to ease the strain on his knees.

More importantly, die-hard Sixers fans are growing increasingly frustrated with his inconsistencies. Embiid will always be beloved in Philly—but that clock is starting to run out.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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