First-time All-Star Joel Embiid moves on from Rihanna

Sixers big man Joel Embiid was voted to his first All-Star Game on Thursday. But why are Sixers fans tagging him in Rihanna’s Instagram posts?

Reaching the All-Star Game for the first time is a milestone for any player, but it has special significance for Joel Embiid. First, for achieving one dream…

And potentially achieving a second dream. Of course four years ago, Embiid became a fan favorite for his use of social media. Particularly when he attempted to woo Rihanna.

Rihanna seemingly turned down Embiid. But there was still a flickering flame of hope if Embiid became an All-Star.

Embiid wasn’t selected for the 2017 All-Star team despite finishing third in fan voting and fifth in media voting. This year, Embiid was selected as a starter. Fans took to Rihanna’s Instragram, mentioning Joel Embiid in the comments. In some cases fans mentioned Riri on Embiid’s Instagram. Kristen Ledlow interviewed Embiid following the Sixers 89-80 win over the Celtics.

“Your team is trying to cool you off here, but years ago you were denied by a young woman who told you to come back when you were an All-Star. Is there anything you’d like to say to anybody on TNT right now?” Ledlow asked.

“I mean, she denied me back then, so … why go with her again? So I have to pass that and move on to the next one,” Embiid said.

Ledlow replied “You’ve got the mic, anything you’d like to say?”

“Um…trust the Process,” Embiid said.

Reggie Miller was beside himself “Oh, did he just turn Riri down on national? What!?”

Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft: Luka Doncic could accelerate the Hawks' rebuild

It’s been a breakout year for the Sixers, the team shows flashes of something special when Ben Simmons and Embiid play together. And, as usual, his social media intelligence continue to scale off the charts.