April 12, 2017
The 2016-17 NBA regular season will officially come to an end on Wednesday night, and although he won't be on the court when the Sixers play their last game, rookie center Joel Embiid is a big part of the reason they've won 28 games, their most since the 2012-13 season (34) and as many as the previous two years combined.
Sure, Embiid never played in both ends of a back-to-back and was on a minutes restriction that never climbed above 28 minutes. And, yes, he only played in 31 games – a fact that could cause him to miss out on Rookie of the Year, possibly to teammate Dario Saric. But the Sixers were 13-18 in those game and 8-2 in the final 10 before his season-ending injury.
But when he was healthy and playing, Embiid posted historic numbers despite his limited minutes and the fact that he hadn't played in three years.
More importantly, however – at least to the casual Sixers fans – Embiid put on a show every time he stepped out on the court. Hell, some nights he did it without ever putting on a uniform. Whether or not he wins ROY, he's generated more GIF-able moments than any rookie I can remember.
And that's got to be worth something, right?
Joel Embiid #NBAVOTE pic.twitter.com/xZQYLtFYtI
— Yuri.doc (@yutheugliest) January 17, 2017
With that in mind, here are the 31 best GIFs – one for each game Embiid played this year – that I could find. Thankfully, the Sixers Twitter account is great at sharing GIFs, so I was able to find a lot there. And thanks to anyone else whose tweets are embedded below.
I almost certainly am missing some, so feel free to leave those in the comments, @ me on Twitter, or shoot me an email to let me know.
[NOTE: These aren't ranked or anything like that, but I tried to group them as best I could.]
Enjoy.
Embiid's 27 and Chacho's 21 not enough to overcome Phoenix's second half surge.@brianseltzer's recap » https://t.co/TZC68Z1Pqv pic.twitter.com/QUvhwDsMxk
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 24, 2016
It's been a long year, but there are reasons to be optimistic about the future.#NBAVote Joel Embiid pic.twitter.com/4540YucKLD
— Sean Carroll (@seanmcarroll) December 27, 2016
Sixers Fight to Finish as Embiid, Okafor Make Starting Debut@brianseltzer's Game Recap » https://t.co/6Jbnm5cyrb pic.twitter.com/c9caoohAL1
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 15, 2016
@JoelEmbiid Joel Embiid #TrustTheProcess @Sixers #NBAVOTE pic.twitter.com/QQPIMh48a9
— ❄ (@emilio_13_97) January 17, 2017
Embiid Dominates Second Half, Helps Lead 108-107 Win@brianseltzer's Game Recap » https://t.co/fMw9c74y9R pic.twitter.com/nykNozxLUN
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 19, 2016
Joel Embiid #NBAVote
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 27, 2016
25 PTS / 8 REB / 2 BLK / 28 MIN
More 📼 » https://t.co/YNQE0lMC8P pic.twitter.com/tV6mroLKnW
Say NO to opponent buckets.
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 31, 2016
Say YES to #NBAVote Joel Embiid. pic.twitter.com/xBq2xqFs0L
Say NO to opponent buckets.
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 4, 2017
Say YES to #NBAVote Joel Embiid. pic.twitter.com/auJVSf9bHA
In a game centered around flashiness, Joel Embiid #NBAVOTE will do the dirty work for the Eastern Conference roster. pic.twitter.com/Pe6vpn11Xr
— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) December 27, 2016
NOPE.
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 8, 2017
( YES #NBAVote Joel Embiid ) pic.twitter.com/EGX9WNTp52
Viewer Discretion is Advised#NBAVote Joel Embiid pic.twitter.com/9kimjINsTD
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 14, 2017
2) Heading into his 21st game, Joel Embiid #NBAVOTE has already performed a chase-down block on LeBron James. pic.twitter.com/V2nlzDbHlB
— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) December 27, 2016
Say NO to opponent buckets
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 16, 2017
Say YES to #NBAVote Joel Embiid pic.twitter.com/BFcJaWtqIf
#NBAVote Joel Embiid pic.twitter.com/Dx5XTZS4Gh
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 26, 2016
#NBAVote Joel Embiid pic.twitter.com/UKJk9pHumh
— I. Leonard (@Ivan14bro) January 18, 2017
Of course, there's always this…
JOE💪🏾 EMBIID #NBAVOTE pic.twitter.com/gBujo6erXd
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 4, 2017
Oh, Kevin Love is hurt?@JoelEmbiid #NBAVOTE pic.twitter.com/kPzoNdvTFU
— EJ (@ejaguado) February 14, 2017
.@Phillies 🙌🏼#NBAVote Joel Embiid pic.twitter.com/PKdsk6o6uw
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 12, 2017
He’s catching up to Kevin Love & if you don’t give @JoelEmbiid your #NBAVOTE you may wind up like @TJMcConnell… https://t.co/tFLJyitJQG pic.twitter.com/vmeUWPLkFw
— Matt Mullin (@matt_mullin) January 13, 2017
#NBAVote Joel Embiid for threeee! pic.twitter.com/cHy67dc6aY
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 16, 2017
#WWEVote & #NBAVote Joel Embiid (h/t @hillman811) pic.twitter.com/IVQcYTtMa5
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 9, 2017
🚨 L A S T D A Y T O V O T E 🚨
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 16, 2017
RETWEET to #NBAVote Joel Embiid pic.twitter.com/KGqVxbqOs1
RETWEET to cast your All-Star vote for Joel Embiid #NBAVote ✋🏾👂🏾 pic.twitter.com/5MtA3eNsNm
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 5, 2017
.@alleniverson 😏#NBAVote Joel Embiid pic.twitter.com/zEh795784h
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 7, 2017
Well, that puts at 30 GIFs, meaning the next one will be the last.
Fair enough.
#NBAVote Joel Embiid pic.twitter.com/IotNZnzfF4
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 8, 2017
Trust the Process.
— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) January 8, 2017
Joel Embiid #NBAVote pic.twitter.com/Ymz5EKoN6N
RETWEET to vote for Joel Embiid for the All-Star Game! #NBAVote pic.twitter.com/HP8VaxjH0y
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 2, 2017
.@NBAAllStar #NBAVote Joel Embiid. pic.twitter.com/2MXluVXHON
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 12, 2017
Can @JoelEmbiid be stopped? #TrustTheProcess #NBAVOTE pic.twitter.com/duSsgyBceU
— Adam (@PGHAdam) January 17, 2017
In conclusion...
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