Joel Embiid and Draymond Green are two of the biggest personalities in the NBA. Embiid has carved out a niche as one of the most prominent posters in sports and is usually good for at least one or two funny quotes when he’s in a good mood, while Green has long been one of the league’s most insightful players, something he has parlayed into his own podcast.
Embiid appeared on that podcast in an episode that dropped on Wednesday, and unsurprisingly, the whole thing is quite good. One of the best moments came around the 48:40 mark of the below video, when the two decided to talk some sh*t to one another and had the time of their lives.
“Hopefully we will meet y’all in the Finals, because as you know, like nobody else in this league, I’m lockin’ that sh*t up,” Green said while a smile creeped onto Embiid’s face.
The two went on to have a long back-and-forth where Embiid accused Green of needing a double-team when they play, while Green said he’s never asked for one. Embiid then said he thinks he’s pretty good defensively, at which point Green tried to catch him off guard.
“When we put you in every pick-and-roll and they bring you up to blitz because you can’t get up the floor, that’s kind of like asking for a double-team,” Green said.
“That’s not why!” Embiid said. “You want me to play drop against Steph Curry?”
Green said he doesn’t have to play drop, but at the same time, he does not need to blitz in those situations, to which Embiid fired back by saying he wants the ball in the hands of one specific non-shooter.
“I wasn’t blitzing last time,” Embiid said. “I was just trying to make sure we got the ball out of his hands so you can make plays, cause you can’t shoot the basketball.”
Green responded that he’ll make every other play and hit shots down the stretch, while Embiid said that if he had to choose between Curry or Green beating them, “I’ll take you every single day.”
“Many have succumbed to that mindset, brother,” Green responded. “Many have succumbed to that mindset.”
The conversation moved to the MVP race, which is viewed as a battle between Embiid and Nikola Jokic, but I could have watched another six hours of the two ribbing one another while smiling. Here’s to hoping that, somewhere down the line, Embiid is the guy who fills in for Shaq on Inside the NBA after Green has established himself on the desk after his playing career ends.
Source: https://uproxx.com/dimemag/draymond-green-joel-embiid-trash-talk-podcast-video/