Joel Embiid has been one of the NBA’s most animated characters this season, and never shies away from talking trash at opponents.
This continued yesterday when he started talking about the upcoming trip to London for a duel with the Boston Celtics in the O2 Arena.
“We just have to be really good defensively,” Embiid said. “I’m really excited to play NBA in London and cannot wait to kick their a**.”
Despite battling multiple injuries over his first two seasons in the league, Embiid has played in the majority of his games with the Philadelphia 76ers this season.
The 23-year-old is averaging 23.8 points and 10.9 rebounds per game per 31.2 minutes. Even though those numbers back up some of the talking out of Embiid, the Celtics have dominated Philadelphia this year with a 2-0 record.
On Oct. 20, the Celtics grabbed their first win of the season against the 76ers by a final score of 102-92 which started their incredible streak of 16 straight victories. Four-time All-Star Kyrie Irving matched his second-highest scoring output of the season with 36 points on Nov. 30 when Embiid and the 76ers fell to Boston 108-97.
Both teams will be playing their first game ever in the UK, with tipoff set for 3 p.m. EST on Thursday, Jan. 11. This bout will be coming off of Boston’s sixth straight win, and the two squads will face off again in Boston on Jan. 18.
