Joel Embiid: 'I'd rather be a football player than a basketball player' / News - Basketnews.com

Embiid said he loved football more than basketball and he would rather play it instead of basketball despite being the MVP of the NBA.

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Joel Embiid is the NBA MVP, but, like his rival Nikola Jokic, his true passion is not basketball.

Free throws this season

84%23,0Points made:23,0Accuracy:83,6%Place in standings:1Record max:37Record min:11Most made FTs:Joel EmbiidTeamNBAStatisticsSchedule

Embiid grew up in Cameroon, where basketball is not nearly as popular as football. The country's national team, led by the legendary Samuel Eto'o when Embiid was growing up, was the pride of the nation. As such, the Philadelphia 76ers superstar is a big fan of the sport, so much so that he would rather play it instead of basketball.

"I watch football because I love it, and I grew up watching it, and I grew up loving it. I think I also love football because it's a dream that I was never able to accomplish. I want to feel what it's like, I want to be a part of it. I know a lot of those guys, football players. I'd rather be a football player than a basketball player, that's how much I love football," he said during the Men in Blazers podcast.

"Football, to me, there's nothing close to a bigger sport in the world and there's nothing close to it. I like the concept of a team. In basketball, if you have two good players, you can win any game really. In football, the team has to be together, they have to follow the same concept, they have to follow the coach's instructions, because the moment you don't, you're not going to win," Embiid explained. "One mistake, no matter how good you are offensively, if the defense is not pretty good, you're not going to win anything."

Embiid is averaging 36 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game in the NBA this season. Last year, he became the league's Most Valuable Player.

Full Men in Blazers podcast with Joel Embiid:

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