All 76ers

John Collins, Hawks Troll Joel Embiid With Birthday Celebration

John Collins' birthday cake was another dig at Sixers center, Joel Embiid.
Justin Grasso|
John Collins, Hawks Troll Joel Embiid With Birthday Celebration
John Collins, Hawks Troll Joel Embiid With Birthday Celebration

In this story:

Philadelphia 76ersAtlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks gathered for their annual media day earlier this week. As every player on the roster geared up for media availabilities, photo, and video shoots, the Hawks felt it would be a perfect time to celebrate the team’s standout, John Collins, as he turned 25 years old.

Collins’ teammates bought him a cake on Friday. When he received the Hawks-themed cake, Collins quickly realized that the top of the cake featured one of his best NBA moments; a poster dunk on one of the NBA’s most dominant centers, Joel Embiid.

Ever since Collins joined the NBA in 2017 after getting selected 19th overall by the Hawks, he fired up a bit of a rivalry against the Philadelphia 76ers center. Throughout the years, the two have traded poster dunks on each other and even got vocal against one another beyond the basketball court on social media.

In 2021, Collins really added fuel to the fire when the Hawks and the Sixers battled it out against one another in the playoffs. Atlanta and Philly engaged in a tight series that featured several comebacks after significant leads.

After six games, the two needed a seventh to settle the winner. Following a Hawks victory in South Philly that ended the 76ers’ season, Collins donned a shirt that featured a picture of himself posterizing Embiid, similar to his birthday cake on Friday.

Embiid didn’t react to Collins’ latest dig this week, but the 76ers’ social media team responded using a recent viral clip of their star guard, James Harden.

Last month, Harden celebrated his 33rd birthday by having a private part on a yacht. When the ten-time All-Star was issued his cake from friends, Harden tossed it out the window of the ship.

The Sixers wished Collins a happy birthday — but made it clear they’d like to throw the cake in the ocean as the Hawks took another opportunity to throw shade at the league’s MVP runner-up.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

Published
Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

Share on XFollow @JGrasso_
Home/News