Kobe Bryant is the reason Sixers fans have a Joel Embiid to root for and cherish | Off the Dribble
“Man, I don’t even know where to start,” Embiid tweeted. “I started playing ball, because of KOBE after watching the 2010 finals."
Forgive me, but basketball isn’t exactly on my mind at this moment. Nor was it yesterday after realizing what I initially thought to be a bad prank was actually true. The basketball community and world lost an icon with the passing of Kobe Bryant, the former Lower Merion High School and Los Angeles Lakers great.
I’m assuming most, if not all, of you know that the future Hall of Famer was among the nine people killed Sunday in a helicopter crash outside Los Angeles. Bryant, 41, was traveling to a youth basketball function with his daughter, Gianna, 13, when the copter crashed.
Prayers up for the families of all the victims of this tragedy.
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— Keith Pompey (offthedribble@inquirer.com)
Embiid wanted to be like Kobe
There’s no denying the love/hate relationship that Sixers fans had with Bryant. But they should all adore one of the greatest to ever play the game. As we found out yesterday, Bryant is the main reason Sixers fans have Joel Embiid, arguably the league’s best center.
On Thursday, Embiid became the franchise’s first player to be voted to start in three consecutive NBA All-Star Games since Allen Iverson did it seven straight times from 2000 to 2006. The 7-foot-2 center is the eighth player in franchise history to be named an All-Star starter three times.
His journey began with wanting to be like Bryant. The Cameroonian revealed that on Twitter on Sunday afternoon.
“Man, I don’t even know where to start,” he tweeted. “I started playing ball, because of KOBE after watching the 2010 finals. I had never watched ball before that and that finals was the turning point of my life. I WANTED TO BE LIKE KOBE. I’m so FREAKING SAD right now!!!!”
Embiid wasn’t alone.
It seemed the entire basketball community was saddened by news of Bryant’s death. But there’s no denying that Embiid is proof that the Sixers and their fans benefited from Bryant’s global imprint on the game.
Starting five
Obituary: Kobe Bryant was a star at Lower Merion High who became a basketball legend. By the time he retired from playing, Bryant was one of those rare superstars whose first name was sufficient identity. Even those unfamiliar with basketball knew Kobe, Frank Fitzpatrick writes.
Brett Brown and Embiid share memories of Kobe and tributes, I write.
Sixers’ Shake Milton made the most of his first career start, Marc Narducci writes.
Despite many mishaps, Sixers are still in play for an Eastern Conference Top 2 seed, I write. It’s important to note that the Sixers’ ballyhooed starting lineup of Tobias Harris, Al Horford, Embiid, Josh Richardson, and Ben Simmons has played together in only 19 games.
The magic of LeBron James is his consistency. On Saturday, Ben Simmons gave reason to think that his is coming soon, columnist David Murphy writes. If he maintains his pace, Simmons will become just the third player in NBA history to finish multiple seasons with averages of 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists per 100 possessions, joining LeBron James (three times) and Russell Westbrook (five times).
Paschall standing out in Golden State
Eric Paschall will have a homecoming of sorts when the Sixers host the Golden State Warriors tomorrow night at the Wells Fargo Center.
The Warriors forward was the 41st overall pick in June’s NBA draft out of Villanova.
The 6-foot-6, 255-pounder is one of the league’s top rookies despite being a second-round pick. The New York native is tied for fourth among rookies in scoring (13.9 points per game), sixth in rebounding (4.8), fourth in field-goal percentage (.493), and ninth in free-throw percentage (.780) and minutes played (27.3).
He’s started in 22 of the Warriors’ 47 games this season.
Paschall and Golden State will take a three-game losing streak to Philly.
Important dates: Next Five Flow
Tomorrow: Golden State Warriors at Sixers, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia
Thursday: Sixers at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia
Saturday: Sixers at Boston Celtics, 8:30 p.m., ABC
Next Monday: Sixers at Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia
Feb. 6: Sixers at Milwaukee Bucks, 8 p.m., TNT
Passing the rock
Question: Should MT [Matisse Thybulle] be a permanent starter even once JE [Joel Embiid] returns? Thanks in advance — @paulscrutton on Twitter
Answer: Good morning, Paul. Thanks for the question, and you are welcome. That’s a great question. Based on Embiid’s comments on Friday, I’m expecting him to return sooner than the sidelined Josh Richardson, assuming Embiid does return next week. In that scenario, yes, I would keep Thybulle in the starting lineup.
However, I would go back to bringing him off the bench once Richardson returns. Yes, I know the Sixers are 8-1 with Thybulle in the starting lineup. However, he is also their best defender and brings a lot of energy as the sixth man. I also wouldn’t want to disrupt the team chemistry by benching Richardson, who has been solid. But I would continue to give Thybulle a lot of minutes and close out games with him when he’s playing well.