Joel Embiid had himself a game for the 76ers on Thursday night, dropping 39 points in Philadelphia’s 112-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
The center showed no rust in Philly’s first game out of the All-Star break, and the performance had Embiid feeling pretty good.
Like the best player in the world, in fact.
“The All-Star Game was fun. Being there in the fourth quarter, doing my thing at the end of the game, I thought it was great,” Embiid said, per ESPN. “But the All-Star Game, just proving I’m here, I belong, and being the best player in the world, I just intend to keep coming out every single night and just play hard and trying to get wins and just go out and try to win a championship.”
That’s quite the bold statement to make when players like LeBron James exist.
Embiid is averaging 23.3 points, 12 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game through 40 contests. And while the 25-year-old certainly is an impact player for the 76ers without question, dubbing himself the “best player in the world” may be a bit of a stretch.
But hey, we’re all entitled to our own opinions.