What Draymond told Embiid after Warriors blew out 76ers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
If Draymond Green has words of encouragement for you, you should probably sit tight and listen.
When talking to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke after the Warriors’ blowout win over the Philadelphia 76ers, forward Draymond Green revealed the wisdom he shared with NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who has been under fire throughout the 2024-25 NBA season.
After all, Green, who deals with a fair share of criticism himself, knows what it takes to block out the unnecessary, negative noise.
“I told him to stick with it,” Green told Burke. “I told him I know how it feels for the whole world to be against you. It’s hard.
“Everybody’s against him right now as if he did something wrong to their mother, and all he did was live his life, deal with the injuries he’s had, tried to be on the court and be the best player he can be, and yet he gets so much hate for that.”
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Embiid has faced plenty of criticism from the media and fans alike for missing over half of the 76ers’ 32 games thus far.
Early this season, the superstar center was listed out with what the team has called “left knee injury management,” an injury that had not been disclosed until preseason started.
In late October, the NBA reportedly was investigating Philadelphia over Embiid’s participation. At the time, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said Embiid would “not play many back-to-backs, if any.”
“Just telling them to stick with it, keep going, trust your body,” Green added. “Listen to your body, but just keep going and forget all those people that got something to say.
“They don’t know what it takes. They don’t even know what it takes to be great at what they do, but they want to criticize you at what you’re great at. But you don’t know what it takes to be great, so forget them people. But I said it a little differently.”
Thursday night, however, wasn’t the first night Green took the time to advise a colleague. From time to time, the four-time NBA champion offers players support, especially those in tricky situations.
“Everybody always thinks this is an easy life we live,” Green said. “It’s a tough life that we live. You wanna just see your well wishes to guys, tell them to stay healthy, ask them how they’re doing, ‘How’s your family?’
“Everybody think we’re superhuman out here and it’s just not the reality. And so I always just trying to check and see to the younger guys you’re trying to get them some words of encouragement, some advice. To the guys that have been around, you’re telling them to keep pushing, keep going, especially right now.
“The dog days in the NBA used to be late January. With the in-season tournament, it’s not. And so just try to get in guy’s ears, get him some good words before we part. You never know what happens down the road, so try to get in guy’s ears.”
It’s sound advice from Green, regardless of what Embiid makes of it.
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