LeBron James sat out the Philadelphia 76ers’ game against the Milwaukee Bucks, but his side still managed to secure a win.
The King’s lower back pain and sciatica are being managed strategically by the Sixers, and he was given a day off to avoid risking an injury.
On the floor, the other players had to step up, and Joel Embiid rose to the occasion with a fantastic performance. Even James was impressed.
LeBron James hails ‘Big Fella’ Joel Embiid after 76ers beat Bucks
Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey have been the stars for the Philadelphia 76ers this season, but Embiid outshone both of them against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The 32-year-old scored a game-high 28 points and 10 assists while also registering 11 rebounds.
This was Embiid’s 10th career triple-double, and that puts him level with Charles Barkley in fourth place in the history of the franchise.
James seemed to be impressed by Embiid’s performance, so much so that he took to his Instagram Story to hail his teammate right after the game.
“Yessirr! Big fella,” he wrote while reposting the above statistic.
Recently, Shaquille O’Neal said that the 76ers stand no chance of winning the NBA, despite their star power, if Embiid doesn’t play well.
Shaq was probably right, as Embiid made it look easy even without James in the team against the Bucks.
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