Richard Jefferson accuses Joel Embiid of ducking Nikola Jokic despite dominating their last matchup: "They call it the Serbian flu"

Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers superstar big men Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid have had a rivalry brewing over the past few seasons. This primarily has to do with the fact that the two have been vying for the title of the best center in the NBA.

However, despite this narrative, Jokic’s and Embiid’s head-to-head matchups have been few and far between. This comes as Embiid has yet to suit up for a road game in Denver since November 2019.

This talking point was brought up on a recent episode of "NBA Today", leading former 17-year NBA veteran Richard Jefferson to call out the Sixers star.

He joked that Embiid has been intentionally avoiding matchups with Jokic whenever possible, and came up with a humorous name for the occurrence:

“They call it the Serbian flu.

“I just need to make a statement. So, it’s called the Serbian flu.”

Jefferson added that it has long been common for players to purposely dodge the league’s top stars. He named NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan as other players who experienced similar circumstances:

“It’s been diagnosed, there’s lots of variations.

“It used to be the Shaq flu, it used to be the Kobe flu, it used to be the MJ flu. There are a lot of different flus, so right now, it’s the Serbian flu.”

Jefferson then clarified that he was just playing around before reiterating that he will still be using the talking point moving forward. He concluded his monologue by challenging Embiid to respond to being called out:

“Let me say this, Joel, I do not think that you are ducking Jokic, I just want to make this clear.

“But from this point on, I will be saying that you are ducking Jokic until you guys play. I’m gonna say that you ducked him until you guys play because I saw you dominate him in Philly. You didn’t get a chance for the backup in Denver.

"So, all I’m going to say is that you’re ducking Jokic, and I can’t wait to see what’s about to happen. How are you going to respond?”

How did Joel Embiid fare against Nikola Jokic last season?

Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers superstar big men Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid

Given that they are in separate conferences, the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers only matched up against each other twice last season.

The first came on Jan. 28, when Joel Embiid dominated Nikola Jokic as the Sixers secured a 126-119 home victory. Embiid finished with 47 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, three steals, two blocks and four 3-pointers on 58.1% shooting.

Meanwhile, Jokic recorded 24 points, eight rebounds, nine assists, two blocks and two 3-pointers on 66.7% shooting on the night.

The game led many to proclaim Embiid the best center in the league. However, it proved to be Embiid’s only matchup against Jokic last season as he later missed their second potential matchup on Mar. 27.

Jokic, of course, then went on to lead the Denver Nuggets to the 2023 NBA title, shifting the best center in the league debate back in his favor.