“Don’t Care About (Nikola) Jokic”: Despite ‘Best Player’ Claim, Joel Embiid Shuns Serbian Star’s Threat to Team USA’s Redemption Tour

The narrative surrounding Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokić has been spun in many different ways. Unfortunately, and apparently, there is no such thing as an Embiid-Jokic rivalry going on. And if anybody hoped there would be something of a friction when going international, well, that’s open to interpretation. In the 76ers’ big man’s latest presser, he was once again asked about his thoughts on going head-to-head with the ‘Joker’ in the Olympics.

“The Process,” has an interesting reply to that. “I don’t care about Jokić. I’m playing for my national team. It’s all about focusing on ourselves and trying to make sure everybody’s on the same page. When we get there, we’ve got to know what we got to focus on. Right now it’s just about finding ways to get better every single day,” Embiid determinedly put out there.

A Cameroonian, Joel Embiid holds citizenship in three countries. Hence, when the Olympics came knocking, it was quite a dilemma for the 7-foot center to choose a country to represent. However, his final choice was the USA, and the primary reason came down to honoring his little boy. In a heartfelt post on X, Embiid wrote, “I want my boy to know I played my first Olympics for him.” So, while his ‘I don’t care’ statement might come across as brash, the chances of Joel Embiid throwing a shade at Jokic seem highly unlikely. And with good reason, too.

Joel Embiid only has the ultimate respect for his fellow center and big man, Nikola Jokić

Remember when the much-awaited showdown between two of the best centers took place on January 16th? Philly won that round 126-121, but perhaps what caught the attention of everyone was a quick conversation between Embiid and Jokic after the matchup. When the 2023 MVP was asked what the subject of their conversation was, he had a simple answer. “I just told him he’s the best player in the league.”

But his compliments did not stop there. “Like I told you all year, he won a championship. That’s the best team in the league, and he’s the Finals MVP. I just told him, keep going, see you in 2 weeks.” Of course, the next game didn’t have Joel, and the Nuggets won 111-105.

However, that was real respect and admiration one of the skilled centers in the NBA had for another dominant big man. And while the pair really don’t care about the whole X war between Philadelphia and Denver fans (we already know Jokic prefers horses to social media any given day!), Joel Embiid is a competitive player. There’s no two ways about it and the man admitted it.

“I’m extremely competitive if anybody didn’t know. So if you’re telling me that this is the best player in the league and this guy’s better than me, then of course I’m gonna go out and try to see for myself.” 

Well, now the 7x All-Star has another stage where he can test the Serbian center. Everybody agrees that this year’s Team USA roster is one of the best of late. So, a Serbian Olympic team consisting of Nikola Jokić, Bogdan Bogdanović, and Nikola Jović might not end up winning against a loaded American team, but they could very well put up a memorable fight.

What do you think? How eager are you to witness Joel Embiid vs Nikola Jokić in the 2024 Paris Olympics? Or would you rather watch the pair one-on-one on an NBA court? Tell us your thoughts.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what brand maker, Leonard Armato, had to say about the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe, check out this exclusive video by EssentiallySports.