Embiid explains his 'thrusting' celebration vs. Wizards originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
"Talk about your thrusting."
That's how a question began during Joel Embiid's postgame press conference following the Sixers' win over the Wizards in Game 2. Reporter Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer asked Embiid for the backstory to his first half celebration after an and-1 play, which quickly went viral on social media.
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Embiid stuck his tongue out and thrust his hips up into the air. Apparently, he's done it before, as some Sixers fans reminded everyone on Twitter after it happened. But it caught a lot of people around the country by surprise.
So, Embiid explained why he did it.
"I mean, it’s fun. I missed the crowd and I made sure… In the past, DX is my favorite. Triple H and Shawn Michaels are my favorite wrestlers. Their group was my favorite and that’s what they used to do. Also, with the refs’ sign for an and-1, it just makes sense to combine the both of them. I’m just enjoying myself. At the end of the day, I miss the crowd," Embiid said.
'DX' is a reference to 'D-Generation X,' a wrestling tag team group from the late 1990s. So, basically he's saying he combined the DX 'crotch chop' with the universal sign for an and-1 used by NBA referees.
This is what he came up with:
Does all of it make sense? Maybe the better question is, does it need to?
For Embiid, it's all about hyping up the Philly fans.
"I like when they get loud because it doesn’t only help me, it helps the whole team. Just by them getting louder, it makes us want to play harder and get more stops and get out in transition and make plays," he said.
With Game 3 up next on Saturday, the series now shifts to Washington. We'll see what Embiid has in store for the road.
