Joel Embiid has been as entertaining off the court this season as he has been on the court, with the Philadelphia 76ers big man showing off his lighter side (read: trolling) at the expense of notable figures in the NBA scene. Among some of his targets include Kevin Durant, Hassan Whiteside, and yes, even LaVar Ball.
His latest victim: Jalen Rose.
The origin of this troll actually dates back to the same Lakers game involving LaVar, where following the victory over Lonzo and crew Embiid was asked about his conditioning level, to which he replied, "69 percent."
His response received immediate criticism from Rose, who felt his "69" joke was "unprofessional."
During a recent appearance on ESPN's SC6, Embiid decided to update his fans (and Rose) about his progress. "It's getting there," he said. "I think I'm at, uh, 81 percent. Shout-out Jalen Rose."
His choice of 81 wasn't lost on hosts Micheal Smith and Jemelle Hill, nor the NBA Twitter community, who immediately caught on to Embiid's reference to Kobe Bryant lighting up the Raptors with 81 points back in 2006. Rose happened to be guarding Bryant that night, though we use that term loosely given the outcome.
A Sixers fan predicted Embiid's troll a few days back:
We wonder how Rose will respond.
