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Sixers Star Joel Embiid Praises Matisse Thybulle for Olympics Performance

The Philadelphia 76ers didn't have too many prospects in the 2021 Tokyo Olympic games this year. With Furkan Korkmaz's Turkey team failing to qualify for the

Justin Grasso

Sixers Star Joel Embiid Praises Matisse Thybulle for Olympics Performance
Sixers Star Joel Embiid Praises Matisse Thybulle for Olympics Performance /

The Philadelphia 76ers didn't have too many prospects in the 2021 Tokyo Olympic games this year. With Furkan Korkmaz's Turkey team failing to qualify for the games, Tobias Harris not making the cut for Team USA, and Ben Simmons withdrawing from the Australian Boomers, Sixers' soon-to-be third-year guard Matisse Thybulle was the only Sixers representative in the games this summer.

Thybulle, who has emerged as a Philly fan favorite from his early days as a rookie two years ago, did not disappoint in Tokyo. As expected, his defensive dominance was on full display as he suffocated his opponents all over the court.

While Thybulle and the Boomers didn't qualify for the Gold Medal Game to play against Team USA, Australia managed to make it to the finals to face Luka Doncic's Slovenia for a bronze medal.

In Philly, all eyes were on the bronze medal game as Thybulle was representing the Sixers. Just as he did throughout the entire summer, Thybulle impressed as the Boomers pulled off the win over Slovenia with a 107-93 victory.

Thybulle himself was a major contributor as he put up 11 points while collecting five rebounds and three steals in the matchup to earn his first Olympic medal.

Like many in Philly, Thybulle's superstar teammate Joel Embiid was tuned in. Following the young guard's dominant performance, Embiid took to Twitter to praise his teammate for his Olympic success -- and he did it with one word.

Embiid is no stranger to complimenting Thybulle. Throughout the 2020-2021 season, the MVP finalist has had nothing but praise for the former first-round pick as he was a dominant defender throughout the entire season.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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