Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

“Joel Embiid will never win a championship until..”- Shaquille O’Neal gives a BRUTAL prediction on Sixers’ star after a shaky NBA return

Joel Embiid attempted only three shots in opening half and missed all of them in shaky return for 76ers.

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Joel Embiid made his NBA return after 193 days and fans waited to see the Philadelphia 76ers star in action on Tuesday night. The 7-foot-tall star player still got a reality check from the NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal who was not impressed with the debut performance against New York Knicks.

Joe Embiid had a night to forget

Joel Embiid made his debut in the NBA Cup and it was the opening game of the competition for the Sixers. His comeback after six months added a spark to the game but the Philadelphia center struggled to carry the momentum. Shaquille O’Neal discussed his game during the first half-break and shared his bitter feedback on the show.

The 30-year-old attempted only three shots in the first half and most surprisingly, he missed all of them. The Lakers legend was also stunned and he noticed Embiid’s slow start in the opening half. During the halftime show, he discussed it and shared how Embiid had a tough night on return.

Lakers Legend noticed Embiid’s slow start on NBA return

Shaq:

"Joel Embiid will never win a championship until he gets his mind and his attitude right."

(via @NBAonTNT)

pic.twitter.com/3RFmwMU5SZ
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 13, 2024

NBA Hall of Famer said, “This is the fear I have for Joel Embiid. You announce arrogantly, ‘I’m not playing back-to-back. I’m not injured. I’m sore. I come in when I want to come back.’ Now when you say things like that, you’re supposed to come back with extra energy.”

Also Read: How many points did Joel Embiid score on his season debut? Full Stats

He also added the key point where Embiid missed three shots in the first half, “0-3 (FG), I would have been 0-15 (FG), you know what they’d say, ‘Hey, Shaq is not playing well but he is aggressive’… I say this respectfully Joel Embiid will never win a championship until he gets his mind and his attitude right.”

Joel Embiid sustained a knee injury against the Warriors in January and later, faced a 3-game suspension due to an altercation with columnist Marcus Hayes. It was his first game on his return after 193 days and fans expected a solid comeback. The 30-year-old center scored 13 points in his 26 minutes of play. Philadelphia are standing at 2-8 after 10 games and will host Cavaliers (12-0) in the NBA regular season.

Joel Embiid

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.