Embiid: “faked my way into NBA, taught myself using YouTube videos”

[CelticsElite]

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/joel-embiid-its-story-time

Joel Embiid wrote a first person essay at The Players' Tribune explaining his journey from Cameroon to the NBA.

When Embiid was in high school, he taught himself to shoot by watching a YouTube video following the search of 'WHITE PEOPLE SHOOTING 3 POINTERS.'

"I pretended my way to the NBA," wrote Embiid. "I seriously got to the league by watching YouTube and living in the gym. There’s no other way to explain it. Remember when KG won the title with the Celtics, and he was acting all crazy, screaming out, “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLLLLLLLLLLLLLE!!!!!!!!!!!!”

"That speaks to me. That’s my life. It happened so fast that it doesn’t even make sense."

Embiid was greatly influenced by Kobe Bryant and Hakeem Olajuwon.

"Thank you, Kobe. Thank you, Hakeem. Thank you, Mom and Dad. Thank you, Kansas. Thank you, Philly. Thank you, Lil’ Bow Wow. Thank you, Random White People.

It's a move, I swear."

[SparzWizard]

I mean I guess if you can find a way to get a ball into a basket legally and efficiently then why not lol.

I use Youtube videos for DIY things and self-teach and learn things too!

But Joel Embiid himself as a character is unfathomable so I don't like him in general. Nice KG reference though.

[greece66]

"I pretended my way to the NBA," wrote Embiid. "I seriously got to the league by watching YouTube and living in the gym. There’s no other way to explain it.

Being a seven footer prolly helped too.

More generally, I'm not sure what Embiid is trying to say in "his" text (I also have a hard time pretending the players actually wrote this stuff, these are interviews turned into articles by professionals).

[gouki88]

His freakish physical abilities and size probably assisted, lol.

[tazzmaniac]

"I pretended my way to the NBA," wrote Embiid. "I seriously got to the league by watching YouTube and living in the gym. There’s no other way to explain it.

Being a seven footer prolly helped too.

More generally, I'm not sure what Embiid is trying to say in "his" text (I also have a hard time pretending the players actually wrote this stuff, these are interviews turned into articles by professionals).

He's simply telling his story.  He's told and/or tweeted most everything that was covered but this pulls it together.  It's a rather amazing story and he's right it is like a movie.  The difference in his current photo and the photo of him at 16 almost tells the story by itself.  What does it matter if he actually wrote the article and a professional cleaned it up or if it was an interview that was transcribed?  It is clearly his words and his thoughts. 

[tazzmaniac]

But Joel Embiid himself as a character is unfathomable so I don't like him in general. Nice KG reference though.

I find that comment unfathomable.  Embiid is as open and straightforward as a professional athlete or really any public figure can be.  He's a breath of fresh air compared to Lebron, KD, Wade, Kawhi ... 

[timpiker]

I have no idea how learning from Youtube videos has anything to do with "faking it". 

[tazzmaniac]

I have no idea how learning from Youtube videos has anything to do with "faking it".

Actually reading the story would help.  He didn't say "faking it".  Here's the actual section.  Right before this he talks about getting dunked on so hard in his 1st Kansas scrimmage that he asked Coach Self to red-shirt him.   

I was basically just imagining that I was a good basketball player. The power of the mind is kind of amazing. I mean, I sucked. But somehow, I convinced myself that I was Hakeem. And I started getting better and better. And then I sort of started killing it.

I pretended my way to the NBA. I seriously got to the league by watching YouTube and living in the gym. There’s no other way to explain it. Remember when KG won the title with the Celtics, and he was acting all crazy, screaming out, “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLLLLLLLLLLLLLE!!!!!!!!!!!!”

[greece66]

"I pretended my way to the NBA," wrote Embiid. "I seriously got to the league by watching YouTube and living in the gym. There’s no other way to explain it.

Being a seven footer prolly helped too.

More generally, I'm not sure what Embiid is trying to say in "his" text (I also have a hard time pretending the players actually wrote this stuff, these are interviews turned into articles by professionals).

He's simply telling his story.  He's told and/or tweeted most everything that was covered but this pulls it together.  It's a rather amazing story and he's right it is like a movie.  The difference in his current photo and the photo of him at 16 almost tells the story by itself.  What does it matter if he actually wrote the article and a professional cleaned it up or if it was an interview that was transcribed?  It is clearly his words and his thoughts.

I feel from your tone that you disagree, but I don't get what part of my text you disagree with.

Did I write something false?

[tazzmaniac]

"I pretended my way to the NBA," wrote Embiid. "I seriously got to the league by watching YouTube and living in the gym. There’s no other way to explain it.

Being a seven footer prolly helped too.

More generally, I'm not sure what Embiid is trying to say in "his" text (I also have a hard time pretending the players actually wrote this stuff, these are interviews turned into articles by professionals).

He's simply telling his story.  He's told and/or tweeted most everything that was covered but this pulls it together.  It's a rather amazing story and he's right it is like a movie.  The difference in his current photo and the photo of him at 16 almost tells the story by itself.  What does it matter if he actually wrote the article and a professional cleaned it up or if it was an interview that was transcribed?  It is clearly his words and his thoughts.

I feel from your tone that you disagree, but I don't get what part of my text you disagree with.

Did I write something false?

As I said, I really don't know why you made the comment.  You don't know whether he wrote it or not.  He may well have written it and then an editor cleaned it up which happens with professional writers too.  Even if it was an interview, so what?  It doesn't make it less real or less worthwhile reading.  Do you make the same comment when you ready something that a politician "wrote"? 

[smokeablount]

"I pretended my way to the NBA," wrote Embiid. "I seriously got to the league by watching YouTube and living in the gym. There’s no other way to explain it.

Being a seven footer prolly helped too.

More generally, I'm not sure what Embiid is trying to say in "his" text (I also have a hard time pretending the players actually wrote this stuff, these are interviews turned into articles by professionals).

He's simply telling his story.  He's told and/or tweeted most everything that was covered but this pulls it together.  It's a rather amazing story and he's right it is like a movie.  The difference in his current photo and the photo of him at 16 almost tells the story by itself.  What does it matter if he actually wrote the article and a professional cleaned it up or if it was an interview that was transcribed?  It is clearly his words and his thoughts.

I feel from your tone that you disagree, but I don't get what part of my text you disagree with.

Did I write something false?

As I said, I really don't know why you made the comment.  You don't know whether he wrote it or not.  He may well have written it and then an editor cleaned it up which happens with professional writers too.  Even if it was an interview, so what?  It doesn't make it less real or less worthwhile reading.  Do you make the same comment when you ready something that a politician "wrote"?

Why does he have to make the same comment about a politician? You don’t apply those same standards to yourself. Do you react the same way to a post about a 6er as you do a Celtic?

Hint: you don’t.

[SparzWizard]

But Joel Embiid himself as a character is unfathomable so I don't like him in general. Nice KG reference though.

I find that comment unfathomable.  Embiid is as open and straightforward as a professional athlete or really any public figure can be.  He's a breath of fresh air compared to Lebron, KD, Wade, Kawhi ...

Just because he made one interesting comment doesn't completely change my view on him. The guy acts like a clown every time the Celtics have faced or defeated him, which makes me not like him in general. But to each their own.

[moiso]

His freakish physical abilities and size probably assisted, lol.

Yeah, A super high percentage of 7 foot people in the world play in the NBA.  And to top it off Embiid is very athletic.  What would be a more remarkable story would be if he lived in the Gym and watched YouTube and didn’t make the league.

[greece66]

"I pretended my way to the NBA," wrote Embiid. "I seriously got to the league by watching YouTube and living in the gym. There’s no other way to explain it.

Being a seven footer prolly helped too.

More generally, I'm not sure what Embiid is trying to say in "his" text (I also have a hard time pretending the players actually wrote this stuff, these are interviews turned into articles by professionals).

He's simply telling his story.  He's told and/or tweeted most everything that was covered but this pulls it together.  It's a rather amazing story and he's right it is like a movie.  The difference in his current photo and the photo of him at 16 almost tells the story by itself.  What does it matter if he actually wrote the article and a professional cleaned it up or if it was an interview that was transcribed?  It is clearly his words and his thoughts.

I feel from your tone that you disagree, but I don't get what part of my text you disagree with.

Did I write something false?

As I said, I really don't know why you made the comment.  You don't know whether he wrote it or not.  He may well have written it and then an editor cleaned it up which happens with professional writers too.  Even if it was an interview, so what?  It doesn't make it less real or less worthwhile reading.  Do you make the same comment when you ready something that a politician "wrote"?

As I said, I really don't know why you made the comment.

It felt like a good idea back then.

You don't know whether he wrote it or not.

That's trivially true about everything on the internet.

He may well have written it and then an editor cleaned it up which happens with professional writers too.

Highly unlikely.

Even if it was an interview, so what?

I have nothing against interviews.

Uncredited ghostwriting is another issue, but, no, I don't lose my sleep over it either.

It doesn't make it less real or less worthwhile reading.

That's both irrelevant and a rather silly conclusion to draw. But since you asked, no, I don't believe that. Do you?

Do you make the same comment when you ready something that a politician "wrote"?

Again, it takes some imagination to draw this conclusion. But, no I don't. Do you?

Finally, here's an article on how the Players' Tribune actually works.

http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/players-tribune-articles-arent-written-by-the-players-which-creates-a-host-of-issues.html

[nickagneta]

But Joel Embiid himself as a character is unfathomable so I don't like him in general. Nice KG reference though.

I find that comment unfathomable.  Embiid is as open and straightforward as a professional athlete or really any public figure can be.  He's a breath of fresh air compared to Lebron, KD, Wade, Kawhi ...

I think he would be better served being professional like those guys and talking like those guys. His mouth is going to get him in trouble. He would be better off not coming off as a clown like Dwight Howard has most of his career.

I mean, his " Random white people" quote is rather bad. If Steven Adam's did an article and at the end he said "Thank you random black people", there would be major blowback.