“Shameless”: JJ Redick Blasted By Fans For Advocating Joel Embiid’s Flopping

The Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat are on a deadly tango right about now and Philly fans are not happy with how things are going with the Sixers. But what’s irking X fans even more is Joel Embiid and his foul baiting. Of course, this isn’t the first time Embiid’s been called out for his infamous “flopping”. However, this time, someone else gets the brunt of hate. JJ Reddick was quite vocal about his admiration for the reigning MVP’s brilliance in drawing fouls.

“People don’t like Joel Embiid because they say he is “foul baiting” it takes incredible skill and intelligence to draw fouls in the @NBA the way that he does,” he said. However, it isn’t hard to see why many hate the 7-footer of Philly for his obvious success in selling fouls. The very fact that the behemoth of a man can lose his grip by the touch of a mere 6′ something player isn’t a narrative people want to hear.

And when you are on the opposite end of the team with a man who drops close to 35 points every night and a pretty big chunk comes from free throws, that’s just another reason. But that’s how it is. To give another example, let’s look at the top two free-throw leaders of the season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (10.7) and Joel Embiid (11.6) lead the way. Interestingly, the ‘Greek Freak’ attempts only 0.9 fewer foul shots per game than ‘The Process’. But the difference is in the result. Embiid shoots 88.3% from the free-throw line while Giannis clocks out at 65.7%.

And that is why this season, 76ers fans did not hesitate to call out Embiid haters. According to them, they are simply mad that despite everything, the Cameroonian big man makes his shots. But none of it mattered to Twitter users when JJ Reddick decided to publicly support Joel Embiid’s remarkable ability.

X users rip JJ Reddick on account of his support of Joel Embiid and his “floppy” foul-baiting

This was it as the floodgates opened for incoming shots. One user wasted no time in calling Reddick out but called the entire Embiid-supporting community “shameless,” as well.

Another user took the sarcastic route as he appreciated Reddick “for staying objective” on Embiid flopping.

Many other users were pretty much mad at both Joel Embiid and JJ.

Finally, this user is simply shocked at the incredulity of Reddick, calling the entire thing “a horrible product”.

Say what you will, but Joel Embiid led the 76ers to a 105-104 win against the Heat. His critics will continue to spray fire at him for his antics on the paint, but does all that really matter when you’re winning? It was a close one, but he was right there, with a team-high 23 points, five assists, and a game-high 15 rebounds. And of course, 9-of-10 free throws. No Embiid matchup is complete without his free throws!

With tonight’s win, they become the 7th seed and advance to face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference playoffs round 1 at MSG.