76ers’ Joel Embiid Has “Lot of Respect” for Raptors’ Marc Gasol after Game 7

Joel Embiid with the 76ers in 2018
Joel Embiid with the 76ers in 2018. Photo by Rob Sambles/Frozen in Motion/REX/Shutterstock (9306399az)

Watching Kawhi Leonard’s buzzer beater going in and winning Game 7 for the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night made the world fell apart for Philadelphia 76ers’ superstar Joel Embiid. While Raptors players were celebrating this big win, Embiid started walking towards the locker room with his head held down and tears in his eyes. This is when Toronto’s center Marc Gasol decided to make one of the classiest moves in these playoffs and approached Embiid to console him.

Gasol knew really well how it is to be on the losing end of Game 7 better than anyone. During his time with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Spaniard played three times in Game 7 in the postseason and lost all of them. This is why he decided to offer some words of comfort to Embiid and let him know that he will have a chance to do better next time.

Speaking with the reporters after the game, Embiid didn’t want to reveal what Gasol told him, but he did say he has a “lot of respect” for him.

“Marc has a lot of class, obviously I have a lot of respect for him,” – said Embiid. “I won’t share anything but he was just talking to me, making sure to let me know that I’ll be right there at this moment and further in my career. I have a lot of respect for him and he’s a great guy.”

Joel Embiid and Marc Gasol battled it out throughout the entire series, providing a must-see matchup for the fans. Using his experience and veteran skills, Gasol made it really tough for Embiid as his primary defender, limiting the 76ers’ big man to just 17.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game in the series.

Gunner's favorite movies are Pulp Fiction, Iron Man (just the first one), and every James Bond film ever made. He's learning TV and cinema and hoping to always enjoy movies as he does now.