NBA's Joel Embiid Gets Blasted By Fans For Taking Night Off, Fans Blame 'Load Management'
Philadelphia 76ers center and top-2 NBA MVP candidate Joel Embiid took the night off on Monday for Philly's game against the Denver Nuggets. All eyes were on the Embiid and Nikola Jokic matchup, a duel between the two best players in the league per the MVP race.
But Embiid was downgraded to 'inactive' on Monday due to a "sore right calf," and fans at Ball Arena didn't take Embiid's absence lightly.
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(Photo by Kate Frese/NBAE via Getty Images)
One Nuggets fan trolled the blatant load management from Embiid with a Missing Person poster showcasing the Sixer. The sign read, "Description: No MVPs; NO First team All-Stars; Tall. Last seen in Denver in 2019."
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(Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Sixers fans also got in on the heckling.
READ: FAN CALLS OUT NBA PLAYERS’ B.S. EXCUSES WITH ‘LOAD MANAGEMENT IS A RIP OFF’ SIGN AT LAKERS-NETS GAME
One family held a sign that read, "$500 for load management."
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Philadelphia went on to lose against the Denver Nuggets, 116-111. Jokic had an MVP-worthy performance: scoring 25 points, adding 17 rebounds and 12 assists.
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(Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Load management has been an annoyance for fans in the player-driven NBA. With All-Stars like Embiid, LeBron James and Anthony Davis opting out of games to rest beg questions on the future of live NBA games, and whether fans will put up with an inconsistent product.
READ: CHARLES BARKLEY RIPS NBA LOAD MANAGEMENT PROBLEM: ‘PEOPLE WORKING IN THE STEEL MILL ARE TIRED TOO’
The NBA is tasked with assuring fans that paying hundreds of dollars for NBA games will be worth the value in the age of load management.