“I Could’ve Cracked His Head Open..”: Following Heated Scuffle on NBA Opening Night, 6’3” Marcus Smart Calls Out 7-ft Joel Embiid

Published 10/19/2022, 6:00 AM EDT

Rivalries in the NBA have stood the test of time. With each passing season, fans are entertained, amused, and shocked at the intense beef between some players. The rivalry between the Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart and the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid goes back even before professional basketball.

During their college basketball days, a 7-ft Joel Embiid towered over Marcus Smart in a game between Oklahoma and Kansas. Embiid dunked his way to win the game. He then went on to roast Smart on Instagram with a pun. From that day on, these two have locked horns.

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In the latest game between the two teams, within 20 seconds of the third quarter, there was a dust-up between Smart and Embiid. Smart went to steal the ball from Embiid, and the referees called a technical foul. He later claimed that Embiid was trying to break his arm. He was visibly upset that Embiid was not given a foul of any sort. The footage clearly showed who was in the wrong, said Smart.

Marcus Smart reacts to the coming together with Joel Embiid

The argument had to be split up by teammates and officials.

“I could have cracked his head open, but I didn’t”, said Smart. He added that he showed maturity by not reacting any further to the incident.

Smart on Embiid dust-up. Said he doesn’t think he was shown respect by refs as DPOY. Said Embiid tried to break his arm. Said his reaction showed maturity. “I could’ve cracked his head open, but I didn’t.”
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) October 19, 2022

Earlier this month, Smart commented on the viral video of Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole. He told that Green’s role as a leader should have enabled him to make a better judgment.

This was not the first time the two have gone at each other on the hardwood. Embiid once kicked Smart in the groin with his foot. In 2019, Smart pushed Embiid to the ground.

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Celtics’ Jaylen Brown quickly came to his teammate’s rescue. During his media interaction, Brown disclosed that he had been observant of Embiid’s body language during the game. Owing to his physique, Embiid was “getting away with a lot of pushing and shoving” according to Brown. He said that he calculated that Embiid would try to hurt Smart.

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With this incident, Marcus Smart and Joel Embiid’s rivalry does not look like stopping anytime soon.

What did you make of the incident between Smart and Embiid? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Rekha Joly is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. She earned a triple major in English, Journalism, and Psychology from St. Joseph's College, Bangalore.

Edited by:

Veer Badani

“I Could’ve Cracked His Head Open..”: Following Heated Scuffle on NBA Opening Night, 6’3” Marcus Smart Calls Out 7-ft Joel Embiid

Marcus Smart reacts to the coming together with Joel Embiid

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