‘He had 70? S—‘: Kevin Durant, LeBron James react to Joel Embiid's historic night
‘He had 70? S—‘: Kevin Durant, LeBron James react to Joel Embiid's historic night originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
"Where were you when Joel Embiid dropped 70 points?"
A question that will be asked throughout the rest of the week, 2023-24 NBA season and beyond.
Many expected Monday night's matchup between the Sixers and Spurs to be a show with rookie Victor Wembanyama in Philly to face Embiid for the first time. After a casual 24-point first quarter for Embiid, the matchup quickly became a secondary storyline to the evening.
Something special was brewing.
Embiid's 70-point evening marks a new franchise record, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain's 68, which held the top spot for over half a century (Dec. 16, 1967 in a 143-123 win against the Bulls). Combine the 70 points (well, 65 for this specific stat) with 18 rebounds and five assists? He's sitting in elite, historic territory as Michael Jordan was the only other player in NBA history to put up those numbers. Embiid couldn't believe it when it was mentioned to him postgame.
"Wilt never did this?" Embiid said in disbelief. "I don't believe that."
"Wilt never did this?" 😯
Joel Embiid was in disbelief the great Wilt Chamberlain never recorded 65 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a game. pic.twitter.com/reU9wEGDPM— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) January 23, 2024
As other games wrapped for the evening, the news spread like wildfire across the league. Most notably, Suns forward Kevin Durant was in complete shock when he first heard.
"70? [Embiid] had 70? S---," Durant said after the Suns beat the Bulls.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C2blFcmuX2g
LeBron James and others, past and present in the NBA, took to social media to share their thoughts on the accomplishment:
70 PIECE NUGGET!!!! @JoelEmbiid 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🫡. CRAZY
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 23, 2024
Congrats on a career night @JoelEmbiid!! #70piece 💪🏼🔥🙌🏼👏🏼
— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) January 23, 2024
70 points is crazy.
— Rudy Gay (@RudyGay) January 23, 2024
While Embiid's teammates reacted immediately following their win over the Spurs, a few also joined in on social media:
Greatness Big Fella
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) January 23, 2024
75 points right there 💪🏽. Congrats brother that was special to witness it pic.twitter.com/cCQbdea9wr
— Nicolas Batum (@nicolas88batum) January 23, 2024
Views from inside the locker room following Joel Embiid's historic 70-point performance:
📽️ : @TyreseMaxey pic.twitter.com/XD1XvmttMw— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) January 23, 2024
What a night. What a moment. What an accomplishment.
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