NBA Fans All Made the Same Joke About Joel Embiid's Status vs. Serbia

Karl Rasmussen | Aug 7, 2024

United States center Joel Embiid shoots against Brazil small forward Leo Meindl during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games. / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Joel Embiid turned in his best performance of the 2024 Olympic Games during Team USA's win against Brazil, dropping 14 points and seven rebounds in 12 minutes on the court.

Embiid didn't play during the second half of the win. His absence was reportedly the result of some lingering soreness in his ankle, which resulted in Steve Kerr opting to take a cautious approach with Embiid's minutes with the game out of reach.

Amid reports of Embiid's ankle soreness, NBA fans couldn't help but notice that Team USA is slated to play Serbia on Thursday. With Nikola Jokic starring for the opposing squad, fans were quick to joke that Embiid was ducking the Serbian center.

That, of course, stems from the fan-driven theory that Embiid has intentionally ducked matchups against Jokic in the past. That overplayed trope surfaced during the 2023-24 season when the Philadelphia 76ers center missed a matchup against Jokic's Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Embiid hasn't suited up for a game at the high-altitude stadium in Denver since 2019, leading fans to suggest he wanted nothing to do with that matchup.

It's worth noting, Embiid owns a 6–2 record against Jokic in their head-to-head career in the NBA.

Though there's no truth to the notion that Embiid is avoiding road matchups against the Serbian center, fans couldn't help but connect the new reports of his sore ankle to Team USA's looming matchup. They sounded off on social media, all making the same joke.

You'd never guess who Embiid is slated to play next... the jokes literally write themselves. https://t.co/ukhN1TXrer

— Matthew Winick (@matthewwinick) August 7, 2024

US plays Serbia next… mans ducking Jokic again 😭 https://t.co/5MlEYhZ20P

— Taino 🇩🇴 (@TainoZtv) August 7, 2024

The timing of this ankle soreness is #interesting https://t.co/OAcQxMdXQl

— sam 🫥 (@fbl_sam) August 7, 2024

of course he is… right before they play jokic https://t.co/TBR8HTA1Aj

— michael doleac (@3MWD__) August 7, 2024

Although the expectation is that Embiid will play Thursday against Serbia, fans couldn't help but crack their jokes about the star center's conveniently timed injury with a matchup versus Jokic on deck.