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During the Philadelphia 76ers' media day, Joel Embiid was chilling behind the scenes. Videographers captured a clip of the big man toying around with the basketball using his feet. Embiid knows how to play soccer and showed off his skills.
Joel Embiid's obsession with Soccer
Before focusing on his basketball career, Joel Embiid grew up playing volleyball and soccer. He gave up on both sports when he turned 15 to pursue the NBA. At least it makes sense why Embiid knows his way around kicking the ball.
This time isn't the first we've seen Joel Embiid playing a game of soccer. Several videos feature the big man kicking the ball with a few other folks. One significant moment was when he showed up during the UEFA Championship. He was spotted juggling the ball on the field after their game ended. Embiid is a big fan of the sport.
After the post-game shenanigans with fellow NBA star Clint Capella, both players were interviewed regarding their skills and knowledge of soccer. While it's evident that both players are familiar with the sport, Joel Embiid is a little bit more confident in his game. When asked which current NBA player would make the best soccer player, he confidently answered himself.
"You know, I played football my whole life," Embiid said. "Growing up I was a striker."
Another memorable moment when Embiid was spotted playing soccer was when he was in his home country of Cameroon. A viral video of him and a bunch of kids was posted on social media in 2018. You can tell that Embiid was glad to be home. He looked like a kid, returning to his childhood sport. The big man even attempted a bicycle kick during their session.
It's somehow become a regular thing for Embiid and his Sixers teammates to goof around playing soccer. A few videos show the Sixers kicking and passing the ball around to each other during their practices.
Aside from practice, the Sixers superstar will also juggle the ball during pre-game warmups.
We can vividly see that Embiid will grab every opportunity to kick the ball around, even on the hardwood. He even convinced fellow NBA superstars to pass the ball during the 2020 All-Star Game.
Embiid is, without a doubt, a soccer enthusiast.
Guess the Lakers players!
