Joel Embiid Gifts Game Ball to 76ers’ Rookie After Debut vs. Magic

When zeros went across the clock in Orlando on Friday night, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid made sure to take the game ball back to the team’s locker room.

It wasn’t a historic night for the MVP big man. While he scored a game-high 36 points in 30 minutes of action, it was just another night in the office for Embiid.

The ball wasn’t for him. Instead, he secured it for the team’s two-way rookie, Terquavion Smith.

first NBA bucket(s). @blue_coats | @Tgetsbuckss23 pic.twitter.com/1SegeaINMl
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 20, 2024

Thanks to the Sixers’ comfortable lead late in the fourth quarter against the Magic, Nick Nurse found an opportunity to trot out some of his deeper reserves. In the final minutes of the game, KJ Martin, Furkan Korkmaz, Ricky Council, and Smith checked in for some garbage time minutes.

To veterans like Martin and Korkmaz, it’s just another opportunity to go out on the floor and remind Nurse that they are ready and available whenever. To rookies such as Smith and Council, it was a very rare opportunity to show the league what they got.

Ricky Council registered his first NBA points by way of the free throw line. Going to the charity stripe for two shots, Council knocked down one of two.

Meanwhile, Smith let off two shots from beyond the arc. Fortunately, he connected on both to collect six points off the bench in fewer than two minutes.

While Embiid admitted he wanted to gift the ball to both Council and Smith for collecting their first NBA points, Smith’s score total earned him the honor.