Photo Credit: AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Joel Embiid Fires Back At Hakeem Olajuwon: “Must Not Have Any Basketball IQ” 

Hakeem Olajuwon is one of the best centers to ever play the game. The Hall of Famer has inspired many basketball fans and left a game to emulate as a big man with revered offensive ability.

Out of all the players whom Olajuwon inspired, look no further than Joel Embiid. The Philadelphia 76ers big man has drawn comparisons to Olajuwon since coming to the NBA. Big, physical and agile, Embiid has flashed similar offensive skills while being a disruptive presence on the defensive end.

The Sixers have been getting most of their offense through Embiid this season, with the Sixers center averaging 33.6 points (career-high), 9.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game on 53.6% shooting from the field.

It’s not hard to take a liking on Embiid as he continues to morph into the type of offensive force who can eclipse the 30-point mark on a nightly basis. Watching Embiid’s dominance however, Olajuwon questioned why the 28-year old Sixers superstar settles for three-point shots, earlier this week:

Per Sports Illustrated:

“He’s got all the moves, but leveraging the moves is different. Why would he be shooting threes?” Olajuwon asks. “He has the advantage every night, and if I have the advantage, I’m going to wear you out.”

But threes? “That’s settling! When I’m tired, I settle. You don’t settle when you’re trying to win. You don’t start the game settling!”

Now, Joel Embiid fired back at Olajuwon over his criticism, while saying that it’s a different game compared to the 80s and 90s and questioning Hakeem’s basketball IQ.

Per Sixerswire:

“It’s funny when you’ve got these old guys always talking about posting up, ‘you need to spend time in the paint,’ and all that stuff. You can’t win this way anymore. It’s not the fricking 90s or 80s like it used to be. So, they must not have any basketball IQ.”