All-Star Weekend Roundup

Rising Stars Challenge

Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Dario Saric competed as members of Team World in the 2018 Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night. Similar to the All-Star game, the Rising Stars Challenge shouldn’t be taken too seriously. With that said, the Sixers promising young talent was evident.

Simmons tallied a stat line of 11 pts, 6 reb, 13 ast, 4 stl. Saric dropped 18 pts and tacked on 5 ast. Embiid only played 9 minutes to score 5 points, but he also did this:

Team World came out on top of Team USA, 155-124. The Sacramento Kings’ Bogdan Bogdanovic took home the MVP award for the game.

Skills Competition

Embiid competed in the Skills Competition Saturday night, facing off against Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen bested Embiid ever-so-slightly, nailing the final 3PT as Embiid missed his. The 20 second or so round, though, sparked some controversy.

During the chest pass phase of the competition, Embiid missed his first attempt at passing the ball through the hoop. Then, he basically dropped his final two balls on the floor and advanced to the next phase without ever putting a ball through the hoop.

Embiid was accused of cheating, but in fact, he’s simply a genius.

All-Star Game 2018

Ben Simmons’ All-Star snubbing left Sixers’ fans with only Embiid to root for during the All-Star Game. But only one Sixer’s participation provided enough entertainment for the entire city of Philadelphia as Joel did Joel things, trolling Russell Westbrook during the game.

Embiid’s Team Stephen fell to Team LeBron, 148-145. The Process had 19 pts, 8 rebs, 1 ast and 2 blk in 20 minutes of playing time.

Noteworthy

JJ Redick

JJ Redick is under criticism for a video released Friday night. In the video, various NBA personnel wish fans a happy Chinese New Year. During Redick’s portion, he appears to use a racial slur.

On Sunday, Redick responded twice through Twitter. The first time saying, “Just saw a video that is being circulated of me wishing a happy new year to NBA fans in China. Clearly I was tongue tied, as the word I purportedly said is not in my vocabulary. I’m disappointed that anyone would think I would use that word. I love & respect our friends in China”

Later, Redick again issued a statement:

LeBron to Philly Confirmed

Not really. But Ben Simmons did post an Instagram photo that, if you try hard enough, could convince you the Sixers are LeBron’s next destination. The picture includes Simmons and LeBron, with a caption referencing the start of the NBA’s free agency period.

2019 NBA Champs.

Oh... Fergie, no!

Fergie is being charged with first degree murder for her role in the homicide of the National Anthem.

Ben Simmons Appeared on The Jump

Simmons’ discussed the two sides of Embiid’s personality, team leaders and the Sixers’ playoff aspirations.