Joel Embiid may be entering his 11th season with the Philadelphia 76ers, but NBA fans didn’t hold back after his sluggish performance against the Boston Celtics on opening night.
A clip of Embiid’s play went viral, showing a slower, less explosive version of the big man who once dominated the paint with ease. What followed was a wave of mocking reactions from fans across social media.
Joel Embiid in 2025 🥀
Those knees are absolutely COOKED 😭pic.twitter.com/SXgMGEbx9d
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) October 23, 2025
One fan joked, “Moving like Celtics Shaq.”
Another one commented, “They gotta get bro an ice bath or something!”
A third fan wrote, “Dude is done. He don’t care to even try either. Get this bum overseas to China league.”
Embiid, who was named MVP and scoring champion just three seasons ago, managed only four points in 20 minutes. With his left knee having undergone four surgeries on the same meniscus, it seems the wear and tear might finally be catching up to him.
“Start Drug Testing on This Podcast”: NBA Fans Clap Back at Jeff Teague’s Embiid Take
While many NBA fans think Joel Embiid’s best days are behind him, former NBA champion Jeff Teague came to his defense — and got roasted for it.
During Wednesday’s episode of the Club 520 podcast, Teague gave his take on The Process, saying:
“Joel Embiid is really better than Joker if he don’t ever get hurt. If Embiid not hurt, he’s the best player in the NBA.”
“Joel Embiid is really better than Joker if he don’t ever get hurt. If Embiid not hurt, he’s the best player in the NBA.”
– Jeff Teague
(🎥 @club520podcast / h/t @NBA__Courtside )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 22, 2025
That statement set off another wave of reactions online, as fans didn’t buy into Teague’s hypothetical defense of the Sixers star.
One fan replied, “Start drug testing on this podcast.”
Another added, “The problem is he never not hurt. I don’t think people think Embiid’s bad at the sport.”
A third fan pointed out, “You can’t use that as an argument though. The ‘what if’ conversation holds zero value. Derrick Rose, Yao Ming, Grant Hill, etc. We have no way of predicting the outcome.”
Once a dominant force, Embiid’s future now has NBA fans debating whether injuries have already ended his prime — or if he still has one more great run left in him.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
