January 23, 2024

Social media reacts to Joel Embiid's 70-point performance

Big names, from LeBron James to M. Night Shyamalan, paid tribute to Joel Embiid's 70-point game.

By Shamus Clancy
PhillyVoice Staff

Bill Streicher/USA Today Sports

Joel Embiid set a Sixers franchise record with 70 points against the Spurs.

Joel Embiid is the talk of the basketball world after his 70-point performance in a Sixers win over the Spurs. Following an MVP campaign last year, Embiid looks even better this season and should win the award again if he meets that questionable 65-game threshold that's been enacted.

Athletes, stars and celebrities poured on the love for Embiid on X following the game. Here are some of the highlights:

LeBron James, naturally, chimed in:

70 PIECE NUGGET!!!! @JoelEmbiid 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🫡. CRAZY
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 23, 2024

Did he predict before the game that Embiid would score 70, too?

The younger James, USC guard Bronny James, gave Embiid some praise as well:

70 PIECE 🔥 @JoelEmbiid
— Bronny (@BronnyJamesJr) January 23, 2024

I wonder what that family group chat was like.

Kevin Durant was asked about Embiid's scoring barrage in a post-game press conference after the Suns' win over the Bulls:

KD couldn't believe Embiid dropped 70 tonight 🤣 pic.twitter.com/14S9ZY2whT
— NBA (@NBA) January 23, 2024

The dude was in shock!

Nic Batum showed love for the bonkers scoring output he and Embiid combined for:

75 points right there 💪🏽. Congrats brother that was special to witness it pic.twitter.com/cCQbdea9wr
— Nicolas Batum (@nicolas88batum) January 23, 2024

😂

M. Night Shyamalan was in the building for the game and was able to squeeze in seeing this historic night in between editing his new movie:

Got to see @JoelEmbiid set the @sixers record tonight by scoring 70 points. It’s inspiring to see someone at the top of their field still being playful like a child. Happy for Philadelphia. Happy for him and the team. Now back to editing a film! pic.twitter.com/rpkRl9F0KG
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) January 23, 2024

How about this for a classic M. Night plot twist... Embiid doesn't play in enough regular season games to win the MVP award, but he does finally knock off Nikola Jokic to win his first NBA title.

My overall M. Night take: "Unbreakable" is his best film.

Speaking of movies, former Sixers CEO Adam Aron had, uh, about as strange of an Embiid tribute that there was:

So painful: 4 years after Covid the industrywide box office is still ludicrously anemic & AMC stock has slid to $4.48. Difficult to think about anything other than guiding AMC back in these challenging times. But greatness deserves praise: Sixers Joel Embiid... 70 points... 70! pic.twitter.com/02gkZSiRuw
— Adam Aron (@CEOAdam) January 23, 2024

Thanks, I guess? Perhaps your theater chain would be doing better if "Night Swim" and "I.S.S." weren't some of the worst films I've seen at the movies in years. January is always a rough movie month.