Joel Embiid admits he was surprised he dunked the ball after thinking it won't happen originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Joel Embiid has been one of the best players in the league over the past decade. He has been the star for the Philadelphia 76ers, but unfortunately, he has dealt with injury issues throughout his career. For the most part, Embiid relies on his size and skill, so athleticism is not the biggest part of his game.
Of course, he is still an elite athlete, but as time progressed, he rarely dunked the ball. That was mostly done to protect his body, but it seems that he is feeling good ahead of the 2026-27 season. In the last preseason game against the Boston Celtics, Embiid dunked, which surprised everyone, including him.
Joel Embiid admits even he was surprised by his dunk in preseason
As one of the standouts for the 76ers, Embiid has become an icon for the team. He has been a superstar, as evidenced by his MVP award in 2023, but he has been the main reason why they have been competitive over the years.
Embiid has sacrificed his body time and time again, which has led to him slowing down a fair bit. However, everyone still acknowledges that when he is healthy, he is one of the toughest players in the league to guard. Now, he still has that skill set, but it seems he is capable of dunking comfortably again.
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In the preseason game against Boston, Embiid was clearly showing that he still had that shiftiness. They were playing in transition, as LeBron James passed him the ball. Embiid then faked a dribble hand-off, and he slammed it down at the rim over a Celtics defender. It was a surprise for everyone, including Embiid.
"I saw how awkward I landed. I guess it's good to dunk. I thought I would never dunk again. Yeah, I don't know what happened. I kind of got possessed. I changed my mind when I saw he was going to block it," Embiid said after the 76ers' game against the Celtics.
With this kind of aggression, Embiid could have a big season. Of course, the expectations are higher than they have ever been with the 76ers because of James and Jaylen Brown joining the team. Embiid will have to match those expectations by playing well and maybe throwing in some dunks from time to time.
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