76ers' Joel Embiid Confirms He Tuned Into Michael Jordan's 'Last Dance'

Aside from being the month of the NBA Finals, June was also a highly-anticipated month this year because the second was the original airing date for the Michael Jordan-centric documentary titled 'The Last Dance.' Since the NBA has been on a mandatory hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though, ESPN changed its plans.

Suddenly, April 19th became the debut date for 'The Last Dance.' And by now, most basketball fans have finished the 10-part documentary. That includes Philadelphia 76ers All-Star center, Joel Embiid. While 'The Last Dance' was made for entertaining fans and informing them of who Michael Jordan was on and off the court, it also served as a motivational piece for current players.

Since Jordan was a relentless competitor and fearless leader, many players were taking notes. And 76ers head coach Brett Brown was hopeful that some of his guys were paying attention. "I'm just blown away and reminded of just the maniacal competitiveness that Michael had," Brown mentioned last month. "Your best player has to grab stuff by the throat and lead, and it can be done a little bit by committee."

When Brown made those comments, it was clear that he was leaving a subliminal message for some of his players who have had their leadership questioned in the past. So for those of you who were curious if Embiid was paying attention to 'The Last Dance' or not, the big man has confirmed that much.

"[The Last Dance] was interesting," Embiid said, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. "I saw a lot of similarities and a lot of people have told me that. I can also be that guy, I just need to keep putting in the work, and that's what I've been doing."

Embiid recently mentioned he believed he was turning a corner after the All-Star break. Unfortunately, his plans to make everything come together consistently was derailed due to the NBA's suspension. Soon, Embiid and the Sixers could have the opportunity to make a run for the Finals. In the meantime, they have nothing else to do but get in shape and hope the league schedules an official return.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_