Joel Embiid’s performances with Team USA in the current 2024 Olympic Games have been nothing short of spectacular, and this hasn’t gone unnoticed by both fans and experts. One who is well known for not keeping his thoughts for himself, has made a powerful claim against the Sixers superstar’s physique.
In a recent interview on Paul George’s Podcast P, Charles Barkley explained his assessment of the Philadelphia big man. “I think that’s one of the reasons he’s always injured. I don’t think he’s in good enough shape,” he said this week. “… You’ve got to be a little bit embarrassed by the way you played.”
His remarks have incited a lot of controversy on social media, creating responses like, “Barkley of all people talking about being out of shape,” from one account, or even, “At least Charles always tells it like it is. Joel Embiid has been very mid,” from another user on X.
Charles Barkley becomes the latest to call out Joel Embiidhttps://t.co/vcp1SOXTix
— Sixers Nation (@SixersNationCP) August 6, 2024
The TNT analyst hopes the former MVP learns his lessons for when he’s back in the NBA this upcoming season.”It works like that when he comes back to the NBA,” Barkley told George. “Some nights, Maxey’s gonna have it going and he’s not going to get the ball. Some nights, you’re gonna be going off and he’s not going to get the ball.
“He can’t mope around. He’s gotta be like, ‘Okay, it’s Paul’s night. Okay, it’s Maxey’s night. What can I do when I don’t get the ball?’ I’m hoping this is a good learning experience for him.”
As Jayson Tatum returned to Team USA’s starting lineup last week, then it became Joel’s turn to warm the bench through an entire game vs. South Sudan. The All-Star player, who would’ve probably won the league MVP again if it wasn’t for injuries, averaged 34.7 points per match across 39 contests for the Sixers last season.
Not only did head coach Steve Kerr give the Boston star a chance instead of Embiid, he also felt the need to play his fastest players during that clash, and the Philadelphia center isn’t one of those. Nevertheless, the tactician assured that any decision he makes will strike drama.
“I think the NBA is so popular worldwide and the regular season is kind of a soap opera,” said the U.S. head coach. “And so we understand that, and social media takes over and everything becomes so dramatic. I think we need to give these guys more credit. They’re here to win a gold medal. They’re pros. They’re committed to each other.”
Team USA now prepares to face Brazil in the Olympic quarterfinals and recognized their rival’s physicality and offensive rebounding
For now, the Americans continue 3-0 as the No. 1 overall seed after beating Puerto Rico 104 to 83, and in theory, they are facing Brazil as the easiest quarterfinals contest. “They’re all excellent teams, well-coached,” Steve Kerr said. “But Brazil is our focus.”
However, the TNT analyst assures that this are the best teammates Embiid has ever had around him, and the player should be performing better. Now more than ever, Charles believes that there is no justification for not bringing home the gold medal.
“Listen if they lose we can’t let them back in the country, we can’t, I told them they can’t come back. I mean because with the team we got I mean it’s no excuse for us to lose the gold medal. All they got to do is go out there and play hard, play unselfish because that’s really the key,” Barkley said on George’s Podcast P show.
“Like we talked about it a little bit earlier, Joel, heck of a player, we’re not gonna walk the ball up and down the court to give it to you. LeBron, we’re not gonna walk the ball up and down the court same thing. Like whoever is in the game like hey let me just play basketball,” Chuck concluded.
