Joel Embiid wears hazmat suit en route to Orlando with Sixers, fans react with memes

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers travelled to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida for the NBA restart on July 9 (July 10 IST). While most players wore masks while boarding the plane with the team, Joel Embiid showed up in a hazmat suit, a face mask and gloves. The 76ers star even took time to pose with fans before boarding the plane.

Fans reacted to Embiid's get up, making memes and sharing gifs about Embiid's costume. While most responses were funny, many pointed out the rising cases in Florida and stated that it was correct of Embiid to protect himself properly. 

After the team arrives at the venue, they will be quarantined for 48 hours before they began training for the eight seeding games. Philadelphia will begin their seeding games by playing against Indiana Pacers on August 1. Before the official season begins, the team will also play three scrimmages, the first one with Memphis Grizzlies on July 24. 

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Joel Embiid Hazmat suit: Why was Embiid not supporting the NBA bubble?

Before the teams began travelling to Disney World for the restart, Embiid had raised concerns about the NBA bubble. The 26-year-old star had stated that he "hated the idea" of the NBA bubble resuming and did not believe it would be safe enough. The three-time NBA All-Star was worried about testing positive for the virus even after the NBA 's safety protocols were announced.

Embiid believed that not all players would follow the rules. However, Embiid stated that he would return to play as it is his job to try and lead the 76ers to an NBA title. Embiid was averaging 23.4 points and 11.8 rebounds per game before the season was suspended on March 11. The 76ers were placed sixth on the Eastern Conference table with a 39-26 win-loss record. 

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(Image source: Joel Embiid official Instagram)