When Tuesday's report about Ben Simmons surfaced, the one which revealed that he told the 76ers he no longer wants to play for them, Joel Embiid's immediate interaction with the social media fan base amid all the drama was... about Real Madrid.
But his lighthearted approach to dealing with the news didn't last for long, especially once a rumor about his relationship with the 25-year-old Simmons surfaced and caused a stir in the NBA Twitter community. After popular account NBA Central shared USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt's report saying that the "Simmons-Embiid rift had been escalating" prior to the end of the 76ers' playoff run, Embiid quickly responded to share his side of the story.
"Sources 'Trust me bro'!! Stop using my name to push people's agendas," Embiid wrote. "I love and hate drama. I love playing with Ben. Stats don't lie. He's an amazing player and we all didn't get the job done. It's on me personally. I hope everyone is back cuz we know we're good enough to win."
Speculation regarding Embiid's desire to play with Simmons arose following the 76ers' disappointing playoff exit against the Hawks, when Embiid called Simmons' passed-up dunk opportunity the "turning point" of the series.
Embiid continued, saying that from his own experience he has seen "how much this media makes up stuff for followers" and that fans shouldn't be so quick to believe everything they see.
And it was at that point that Embiid then turned his complete attention from the media to the fans, recalling his own experience when dealing with frustrated fans and retweeting a clip of a caller from 94WIP who wanted him out of Philly during the 2020 season.
Fellow 76er Danny Green also called out Philadelphia fans earlier in the year, saying it's the one thing he disagreed with or disliked about the city's fan base.
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