LeBron James and NBA Legends Go Wild as Joel Embiid Explodes for 70 on Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs

Joel Embiid etched his name in the history books tonight. In his first meeting against San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama, Embiid decided to put up the best performance of his career. He went off for a career-high 70 points and had 18 boards to go along with it. Embiid also set a new scoring record for the Philadelphia 76ers franchise, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain’s historic 68-point performance in 1967.

The reigning MVP’s historic performance even caught the attention of LeBron James and several other NBA legends.

NBA legends congratulate Embiid on historic performance

Joel Embiid’s record-breaking 70-point performance garnered a lot of love from several NBA legends. 4-time Champion LeBron James went wild on social media after witnessing Embiid’s dominance, “70 PIECE NUGGET!!!! @JoelEmbiid CRAZY.”

Hall of Famer Pau Gasol and former NBA Champion Kendrick Perkins also joined King James in congratulating the reigning MVP.

Veteran guard Austin Rivers gave props to both Joel Embiid and Karl Anthony Towns for putting on a show on the same night.

Even the Sixers President Daryl Morey went crazy on X and shared a picture of the Oscar-winning movie ‘Oppenheimer’ to express the sheer dominance of his superstar.

Before the game, Joel Embiid was surprised by the height difference between him and Wembanyama. But he did not let that hinder his performance. Embiid came out with a mission to dominate the 7’5 rookie and succeeded. Although Wemby also had a decent game with 33 points and 7 rebounds, his performance fell flat compared to the reigning MVP.

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Joel Embiid broke multiple records with his 70-point performance

Not only did Joel Embiid set a new career-high with his 70-point performance, but he also set some new records in the process. Embiid now holds the record for the highest-scoring game in Sixers franchise history. He also became the first Sixers player since Allen Iverson to score over 60 points in a game. Embiid also surpassed 2-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo for the highest-scoring game of this season. Giannis held that record for over a month after his career-high 64-point night against the Indiana Pacers.

Embiid also became the only player apart from 6-time Champion Michael Jordan to score 65+ points, 15+ rebounds, and 5+ assists in a game. MJ did it in 1990 when he scored 69 points, 18 rebounds, and 6 assists against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Embiid was already the frontrunner to win the MVP award this season. And this game might have boosted him far beyond the competition. Embiid’s 70-point performance against Wembanyama might have solidified his chances of becoming a back-to-back MVP.

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