ESPN’s ‘NBA Countdown’ puts Joel Embiid, and Paul George in an awkward situation
Joel Embiid unexpectedly joined ESPN’s NBA Countdown before Friday night’s NBA Finals game, leading to a strange scene involving Paul George.
The Philadelphia 76ers star addressed how his team can improve for next season, and he mentioned the need to “add some pieces.”
George, who is in contract talks with the Los Angeles Clippers, can become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. With George seated right next to Embiid, the inevitable happened.
“Hopefully, this offseason we find a way to get better and you know,” Embiid paused briefly, rolling his eyes theatrically in George’s direction, “add some pieces …”
That subtle move and statement got everyone on the set talking at once, with Kendrick Perkins saying, “That’s the piece, sitting right next to him.”
Many fans thought the NBA might frown on Embiid’s comments as tampering, but really, a roll of the eyes isn’t going to get him in trouble. But some fans thought it was more than a coincidence the two stars ended up together on the ESPN set. Did the network do that on purpose to set up just such a scenario? If so, some fans thought that was a brilliant move, while others found it devious.
