On Saturday, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic will resume their rivalry on the floor that began when Jokic ended up winning MVP in 2021 and 2022.
While the two have a rivalry on the floor, there is an obvious mutual respect between the two star big men in this league.
On Thursday, the NBA announced the All-Star starters for both the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference for the game in Utah on Feb. 19. Embiid was not named a starter for the game despite averaging a robust 33.4 points and it caused a bit of an uproar from his teammates.
Ahead of Saturday’s prime-time matchup with Embiid and the Sixers, Jokic was also surprised that the big fella was not named a starter for the game. He stated that Embiid deserved the spot.
Nikola Jokic said he was surprised Joel Embiid wasn’t named an All-Star starter: “He deserves it.”
— Mike Singer (@msinger) January 27, 2023
The NBA will announce the All-Star reserves on Feb. 2 and that is when Embiid will likely be announced as a reserve at least.
