During the opening of their training camp in Colorado, the Philadelphia 76ers received a special message from the legendary Deion Sanders of Colorado Buffaloes football, who is now the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes. Sanders had a specific message for reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid.
Addressing the 76ers during a dinner, Sanders expressed his passion for superstar matchups in sports, citing Michael Jordan as an example of someone who “wanted that competition.”
Sanders then shifted his focus to Joel Embiid and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, who have been engaged in an MVP rivalry over the past few years. Sanders emphasized that if a game is advertised as Embiid vs. Jokic, he expects to see exactly that on the court.
“A lot of folks duck that smoke right now,” Deion Sanders of Colorado Buffaloes football remarked. “They want to be Tarzan on paper. Don’t sell me the game that when I turn on the TV, this is what I’m gonna get. Then I turn on the TV, and I don’t get that. I don’t like that. If Embiid is playing the Joker, I want to see Embiid vs. the Joker. … I love the matchup. I want to see it. That’s why I stayed up. If somebody else is on the Joker, I ain’t got time for that. I’ll watch the BET Awards.”
In a game between the Nuggets and 76ers late in the previous season, Embiid was notably absent due to a lingering calf issue. It’s possible that Sanders was using this incident to motivate Embiid for upcoming clashes in the 2023-24 season.
Despite missing that particular game, Embiid went on to secure the 2023 MVP award. However, Jokic had the last laugh, leading the Nuggets to an NBA championship and earning the Bill Russell Finals MVP Trophy.
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