The debate over the NBA's best player is crowded, but often comes down to two names: Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid and Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic.
Team USA and Embiid defeated Jokic and Serbia in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics Thursday, sparking a dispute on social media. Nuggets fans, of course, came to the defense of the three-time MVP, which Team USA star Kevin Durant wasn't a fan of.
Durant took to X, responding to a fan who claimed "Jokic is clearly the best player in the world."
"To all you nuggets fans, nobody gives a [expletive] who yall lames believe is the best player in the league," Durant wrote. "Players got major respect for Jok, we don’t worship him like yall do but most are in awe of his brilliance. Trolling you cornballs for rooting against us is apart of the game. Deal wit it."
To all you nuggets fans, nobody gives a fuck who yall lames believe is the best player in the league, players got major respect for Jok, we don’t worship him like yall do but most are in awe of his brilliance. Trolling you cornballs for rooting against us is apart of the game.… https://t.co/JVwxSi0eJD
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) August 9, 2024
The post gathered more than 3.5 million views in less than six hours. The Sixers fanbase comically flooded the comments with words of praise for Durant as he indirectly defended Embiid.
Both centers had impressive outings in Thursday's matchup, with Embiid recording 17 points on 8 of 11 shooting while Jokic finished with 17 points and 11 assists. However, it's rather illogical to use the international stage to further the debate.
Instead, the 76ers potentially winning their first NBA championship in more than 40 years could further Embiid's case for the top spot.
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