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Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers fights with Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the third quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on October 30, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The matchup between Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns will be a significant storyline to monitor during the upcoming second-round playoff series between the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks.
The 7-footers have been beefing since they entered the league more than a decade ago, but never before had the chance to go toe-to-toe in the playoffs. In 2024, when the Knicks beat the 76ers in the first round, KAT was still on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Ahead of their first-ever postseason matchup, fans on social media have been digging up the long list of barbs that Embiid and Towns exchanged several years ago.
The beef picked up steam in the 2018-19 season when Jimmy Butler III joined the 76ers via trade after spending just a season with Towns and the Timberwolves. Butler made several derogatory remarks about Minny’s young core of players, including Towns, giving Embiid a reason to up the ante every time he faced the Timberwolves.
The rivalry reached a boiling point on October 30, 2019, when Embiid and Towns tangled up and wrestled each other to the floor, leading to a massive scufffle involving the Timberwolves and 76ers benches. Notably, Sixers point guard Ben Simmons stepped in and put KAT in a headlock while trying to break up the fight. Needless to say, both Embiid and Towns were ejected.
The next day, Embiid wrote the following on X, addressing Towns:
“That tough guy act ain’t cutting it …. you know what you are.. you know what you’ve always been>>> A P**SY (SAY IT LOUDER FOR PEOPLE IN THE BACK) Been kicking your a** and pretty please make the playoffs before you talk. It’s a known thing that I OWN YOU.”
KAT fired back by posting photos of Embiid crying after a previous playoff series loss, captioning the post “All Bark & No Bite.”
That tough guy act ain’t cutting it …. you know what you are.. you know what you’ve always been>>> A PUSSY (SAY IT LOUDER FOR PEOPLE IN THE BACK) Been kicking your ass and pretty please make the playoffs before you talk. It’s a known thing that I OWN YOU. @KarlTowns
After Philly set up a mouth-watering second-round series against New York on Saturday, Embiid urged his fanbase not to allow Knicks fans to pack the Xfinity Mobile Arena as they did in the 2024 series.
“I have a message for our fans. Last time we played the Knicks, it felt like (Philadelphia) was Madison Square Garden East,” Embiid said. “We’re going to need the support. Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you … If you need money, I got you.”
Further to Embiid’s point, the Sixers lost two home games to the Knicks in their 2024 series, as New York fans packed the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, creating a home-court environment for Jalen Brunson and Co.
The Knicks enter the series as betting favorites to beat the 76ers and reach the Eastern Conference Finals for a second consecutive year.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided's Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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