"Stop babying yourself!" - NBA fans erupt over Joel Embiid showing acrobatic moves despite being sidelined with knee injury

Joel Embiid is the centerpiece of the Sixers and the headline act of what became "The Process." Despite the presence of All-Stars Tyrese Maxey and Paul George, the team's fortunes revolve around his play. With a roster set to contend, the Sixers find themselves with a 17-27 record, good only for 11th in the East, and a big part of the reason for their struggles is that their MVP candidate has only played in 13 games all season.

So, how did fans react when they saw the franchise center doing handstands during practice? Well, it's safe to say Embiid isn't getting any love for his skilled attempt at gymnastics.

Fans relentlessly trolled Joel Embiid, with an angry fan clamoring for him to stop babying himself. Others have been calling him out, even questioning his love for the sport.

"How about you freaking play in a game and stop babying yourself!" a fan reacted.

"I can't stand him!" a fan posted.

"Softest player in the league," another fan remarked.

"Took the bag and ran," a fan joked, remarking about Joel Embiid's hefty salary in relation to his limited availability.

Various fans also reacted in jest to how walking on his arms probably helps him recover from his knee issues.

Known for his "troll" antics, Joel "The Troel" Embiid is unlikely to be shocked by the ridicule he is being subjected to for the handstands on social media. However, while the fan reactions are relatively mild this time around, his continued absence and the team's underperformance are unlikely to sit well with the Philly faithful in the long run.

Joel Embiid has never hit the 70-game mark in a season for his entire career

While it isn't nice to troll a player for an injury, the frustration shared by the Philadelphia Sixers fans is not limited to the time Embiid has missed this season.

It is often stated that availability is the best ability, and despite his MVP-level performances when he plays, Embiid has consistently missed game time, including his first two seasons, and has played in multiple NBA playoff games without being fully healthy.

He played a career-best 68 games in 2021-22, followed by 66 in his MVP season. But he managed only 39 games last season. In his 11 seasons, he's reached 63 games just four times.

Philadelphia 76ers v Golden State Warriors - Source: Getty

The Sixers have not made it to the Eastern conference finals since Allen Iverson took them to the 2001 NBA Finals. Despite having All-Star teammates for almost his entire career, Joel Embiid has not been able to turn the franchise's fortunes around, and on more than one occasion it has boiled down to his health issues. Patience in their star is definitely at an all-time low, and gymnastics during training is not going to add to his popularity with Sixers Nation.

Embiid is on a three-year, $192,907,008 contract. With Paul George and Tyrese Maxey also on maxed-out contracts, Philadelphia has little to no wiggle room to make any roster changes at this point.

If his injury woes continue, and the Sixers are unable to return to the playoff picture sooner rather than later, some uncomfortable conversations are due concerning the future of their franchise player and the franchise itself.