Joel Embiid caught red-handed in misdeed during pointless training match in US

Joel Embiid just can’t help himself. The Philadelphia 76ers big man was caught throwing bait at the practice squad basketball players during a Team USA scrum before the Olympic Games in Paris.

This is so bad…

Embiid, who is competing in his first Olympics, is part of a group that could be the most talented roster in U.S. history. He joins the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, the all-time leading shooter, the all-time leading scorer in USA Basketball, and players like Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis on a team coached by Steve Kerr, Erik Spoelstra, Tyronn Lue and Mark Few. Every American player and coach at this summer’s Paris Olympics could one day end up in the Hall of Fame.

While it’s great to have Embiid on the team (he became a U.S. citizen in 2022), watching him play can be extremely frustrating. The 30-year-old is often criticized for being reckless on the court, hesitant in the paint, and sometimes lazy.

Hakeem Olajuwon was one of his most vocal critics.

He’s got all the moves, but it’s different to exploit them. Why would he make three-point shots? He’s got the advantage every night, and if I have the advantage, I’m going to wear you down.

(Shooting a three-pointer) is settling for little! When I’m tired, I settling for little. You don’t settling for little when you’re trying to win. You don’t start the game settling for little!

—Hakeem Olajuwon

Embiid fired back immediately.

It’s funny when you have these old guys that always talk about putting themselves out there, “You gotta spend time in the paint,” and all that kind of stuff. You can’t win that way anymore. It’s not the fucking ’90s or ’80s like it used to be. So they must have no basketball IQ.

— Joel Embiid

Another point of contention is the 7-foot-4 forward’s frequent attempts to draw a foul. Embiid often chooses to initiate contact to draw a penalty instead of finishing the play.

For example: