Fansided

Is Joel Embiid headed for WWE?

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Jan 3, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts after being fouled against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts after being fouled against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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No player has been more outspoken and openly campaigning for the NBA All-Star Game quite like Joel Embiid. The shoo-in for Rookie of the Year is going to be in New Orleans for the Rising Stars Challenge in February, but Embiid does not just want to play on Friday night. And many NBA fans certainly would love to see Embiid play in the main event Sunday. At least for the entertainment value.

After waiting two seasons through injuries, Embiid has been everything everyone had hoped for. From averaging 19.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game to adopting the “Process” as a nickname and having fans in Philadelphia chant “Trust the Process” at everything he does.

Embiid has embraced everything everyone loves about NBA and Sixers Twitter. He is our avatar. There may not be anyone more “over” with the crowd than Embiid. So, of course, he deserves some WWE treatment.

In the WWE2K series, fans have the opportunity to create their own superstars. One intrepid fan captured the hope and power of Embiid with his All-Star vote for Embiid today:

All in all a great effort to create Joel Embiid for WWE. From the bouncy, hopeful “Philadelphia” song (and the video with the spinning 76ers logo) to naming him “The Prodigy”, it is delightful. Particularly seeing him come out with the Lex Luger entrance and the Catcus Jack “bang, bang” motion.

Embiid has certainly embraced the All-Star voting. He has joked(?) that a celebrity promised him a date if he made the All-Star team. He created a fake manual retweet of President Elect Donald Trump voting for him, and netted himself a few thousand extra votes for his trouble.

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All the efforts have worked somewhat. In the first returns of All-Star voting, Embiid is fourth among frontcourt players in the Eastern Conference. He trails Kevin Love by roughly 30,000 votes.

It is easy for fans to “mark” out over Embiid. He has been well worth the wait. Now he just needs an entrance with some pop.

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