Joel Embiid not sweating All-Star Game snub: ‘I don’t need any validation from anybody’
He still could be named an injury replacement, with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo out with a calf strain that is expected to keep him sidelined for at least a month.
LOS ANGELES — Joel Embiid is content to spend his All-Star break on a family vacation after the 76ers’ standout center was not selected as an Eastern Conference reserve by the NBA’s coaches.
“I don’t need any validation from anybody,” Embiid said following the Sixers’ victory over the Clippers on Monday night. “I’m happy where I’m at. I’m excited to be playing every night. If [the All-Star Game selection] didn’t happen, who cares? I get a week off to rest anyway.”
Embiid may need to keep those plans tentative, however. He still could be named an injury replacement for the game on Feb. 15, with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo out with a calf strain that is expected to keep him sidelined for at least a month.
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Sixers coach Nick Nurse and Tyrese Maxey, who previously was named an All-Star starter for the first time, acknowledged they were surprised that Embiid was not among those selected as a reserve. Embiid’s production has exploded in recent weeks, with the big man averaging 29.6 points on 52.2% shooting along with 7.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 18 games since Dec. 23. It has been an impressive progression in Embiid’s ongoing recovery from multiple knee surgeries.
“He’s been super dominant,” Nurse said of Embiid before the game against the Clippers. “ … I thought, just the general buzz or feel I was getting, was that he would make it.”
Added Maxey: “It’s life. I understand it. He’s going to keep being Joel.”
Embiid and the Sixers (28-21) had been doing some recent campaigning for his inclusion in the midseason showcase for the eighth time in his career. Following a Jan. 9 game at the Orlando Magic, Embiid said he believed he deserved the honor and added, “I think you guys [the media] should start putting the word out that Joel Embiid is back.” And when Maxey was asked at a news conference following a Jan. 22 victory over the Houston Rockets which teammate he would like to join him at All-Star Weekend, he said, “Process!” and tapped the microphone.
“Sixers, put that out there!” Maxey said.
The Eastern Conference reserves are the Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes, the Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren, the Atlanta Hawks’ Jalen Johnson, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell, the Miami Heat’s Norman Powell, the Indiana Pacers’ Pascal Siakam, and the New York Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns. They join starters Maxey, Antetokounmpo, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, New York’s Jalen Brunson, and the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown.
Rookie guard VJ Edgecombe will also represent the Sixers at All-Star Weekend as part of the Rising Stars competition.
For now, Embiid will plan to enjoy his vacation and rest an “ankle thing” that he has been playing through in recent games. And the 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player reiterated that “there’s only one thing missing” from Embiid’s personal basketball accomplishments while glancing at his wedding ring, a clear reference to winning an NBA championship.