Philadelphia 76ers center, Joel Embiid has bared his mind over what he believes is a snub by the NBA from the forthcoming All Star Game.
Making the reserves list and his 6th All-Star shortlist, has not deterred the Cameroonian from airing his views, especially per his team mate, James Harden, who would not be participating at the game in Utah.
Embiid does not explicitly say Harden’s snub is the reason he called out the NBA, but many guessed it is the reason he tweeted.
Harden Chimes with a Cryptic Message
Though he did not say much, the message on Harden's Instagram handle was pregnant with meaning, and would not take long for the discerning to decipher.
One of the guards that made it over Harden is Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who is the official assists leader in the league with 10.2 average per game along with 20.2 points and 4.0 rebounds.
Harden’s 11.0 assists would be leading the NBA, however, he’s not listed among the leaders because he’s only played 56.5% of the Sixers’ contests (34).
For a player to be eligible for the stat leaders list, they must have played at least 70% of games.
Through 34 games this season, Harden is averaging 21.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 11 assists per game. The guard did miss 14 games throughout November and the beginning of December with a foot injury, but he has only missed two games since returning on Dec. 5.
The last time the Beard missed the midseason showcase was in 2012 when he was a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. With his name off the roster, Harden ends his 10-year streak of earning All-Star honors.
The All-Star reserves from the Eastern Conference were Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Bam Adebayo, Julius Randle, DeMar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday and Tyrese Haliburton. DeRozan and Holiday are the two drawing some heat for being selected over Harden.