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Embiid says 'best player' comment was misinterpreted

David Dow / National Basketball Association / Getty

Last week, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid appeared to casually assert that he is "the best player in the world" after dropping 39 points and 16 rebounds in a win over the Brooklyn Nets.

However, the All-Star big man said Monday that his comment was taken out of context. According to Embiid, he'd simply stated that he "deserved to be in that conversation" as basketball's top dog.

"What I said was that All-Star Game, fourth quarter, I'm out there with some of the guys that are considered the best players in the world, and I'm out there just dominating, just being unstoppable, just doing whatever I want, especially in the post," Embiid said Monday after scoring a career-best 49 points in Philadelphia's 129-112 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

"So to me, I just felt like that was a chance for me to prove that I deserved being in that conversation of being the best player in the world. So next time, do a better job (reporting)."

Embiid's now averaging 23.8 points, 12 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game in 2019-20, his fourth NBA season after missing extended time due to injury from 2014-16.

Meanwhile, the 76ers have won five of their last six contests, and the 25-year-old Embiid has set the tone with his physical presence on both ends of the floor.

"I just gotta keep on doing it," Embiid added. "I know I'm not (the best player in the world), but I do believe it, because I got to prove it, I got to win. My goal is to win a championship - that's how you prove you're up there. I'm going to do everything I can to get to that point and win a championship."

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