Joel Embiid Proved He's the Perfect Philly Athlete With Career High and Excellent Quotes

To be a star athlete in Philadelphia, you have to do more than dominate most statistical categories and lead your team to victories. There is a certain swag level you need to reach as well. In basketball, you have to put up 30 points a game while trash-talking the opposing players non-stop and getting the crowd riled up after every big play.

Yup, 76ers center Joel Embiid has been the best at doing just that ever since Allen Iverson left town, as evidenced by his 49-point performance against the Atlanta Hawks this week. Embiid, who has drawn boos from the notoriously fickle Philly crowd for his Instagram activity amid trade rumors, said he has nothing but love for the boo birds.

Embiid also said he is trying to reward the passionate fans with wins and consistent hard effort, like we saw last night.

Taking advantage of a Hawks team playing without Clint Capela, Embiid went to town on John Collins and Dewayne Dedmon, owning the paint while also knocking down a few threes in a virtuoso performance.

Embiid remains extremely inconsistent, as he is a few months removed from putting up a whopping zero points against the Raptors, but he is one of the freakiest athletes in the entire league that can bully an opponent into submission when he feels like it.

For all their tough talk, Philly fans love him and they would riot in the streets if he ended up getting traded.