January 10, 2017

Joel Embiid was able to secure Sam Hinkie’s all-star vote

By Rich Hofmann
PhillyVoice Contributor

Joel Embiid still has some catching up to do in the all-star voting standings, but his campaign has been very entertaining to watch. He even was able to secure a pretty important vote on Tuesday, from none other than the guy who drafted him while he was injured in 2014, Sam Hinkie.

Hinkie a very infrequent tweeter, made his vote for the big man that he brought to Philly in the first place a few summers ago. This is "The Process," summed up in two tweets:

I wonder who @samhinkie is gonna vote for All Star.. Gotta do it for the culture

Joel Embiid #NBAVote
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) January 10, 2017

I got you
See you in NOLA

Joel Embiid #NBAVote https://t.co/grCPULyDcH
— Sam Hinkie (@samhinkie) January 10, 2017

A few months ago, Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins summed up Embiid and Hinkie's history well in his in-depth profile of the 7-foot-2 center:

Hinkie was there for Embiid when Arthur died, sitting in his apartment with Brown and Mbah a Moute, then flying him to Cameroon for the funeral. He was there last season, when the Sixers nearly upset the Warriors at Wells Fargo Center, and Embiid stomped excitedly around the suite. He is not there anymore, having resigned in April, but Embiid channels Hinkie every time he references The Process, which occurs nearly every time he opens his mouth. “I think a lot about what I went through and how it prepared me to be a better man,” Embiid says. “I really feel like I’m The Process, like The Process is about me.”

In other news, a fairly recent trend around the NBA has teams sending small gifts to media members in hopes of garnering all-star votes for one of their players. With the Sixers not having anybody in serious contention for all-star consideration over the past few years, there wasn’t too much evidence of them engaging in this practice.

Now, with Embiid on the court and playing well, times have changed. And in order to hype up “The Process” for all-star voting, the Sixers are calling upon Embiid’s favorite drink to get the job done.

According to Darren Rovell, the Sixers are sending out Shirley Temple ingredients to media members:

Creative: The @sixers are sending the media ingredients to make Shirley Temples, @JoelEmbiid's favorite drink, in All-Star vote campaign pic.twitter.com/sru7HWnEzG
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 10, 2017

In honor of its All-Star vote push for Joel Embiid, the 76ers & vendor Aramark will sell 16 oz Shirley Temples on tomorrow vs Knicks for $5 pic.twitter.com/jvHoRjKwLX
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 10, 2017

If you’ll recall last year, Embiid was the subject of a story on The Cauldron which painted a poor picture of a player that was missing his second straight season due to injury:

This type of disregard for instruction also extends to Embiid’s dietary habits. Per a source, the Sixers’ training staff was so concerned about what he was eating, they stocked the refrigerator in his downtown hotel residence each week with healthy food. When a staffer went to restock the fridge each week, most everything was uneaten and unopened, and they were throwing out the fruits and vegetables every week. When the team subsequently asked to see Embiid’s room service bill, they found that most days he was ordering junk food along with his signature beverage, a pitcher of Shirley Temples. Embiid also was frequently seen feasting on chicken fingers and hot dogs at and after games.

Since then, Embiid has embraced the idea of himself throwing back Shirley Temples. Heck, he even trademarked “The Process” in order to sell them.