Watch: Joel Embiid channels Triple H, 'Key and Peele' character during and-1 celebration
Joel Embiid was pumped for his first game against Ben Simmons — and he was pumping.
Embiid scored through contact down low in the middle of the third quarter of Philadelphia’s win over Brooklyn and went for a very hip-centric celebration. He put his hands behind his head and pumped his lower body three times.
“Key and Peele” watchers know that move as the “Hingle McCringleberry,” after the wide receiver who repeatedly drew excessive celebration flags for doing a touchdown dance with three pumps. Two would have been legal!
After the game, Embiid explained that it was a tribute to his favorite wrestler, Triple H. Embiid even borrowed the wrestler's intro and entrance music for pregame introductions in 2017.
Former teammate Jimmy Butler joked on his Instagram that Embiid's celebration deserved a $75,000 fine.
And the injured Kevin Durant, watching his team face Embiid without him, heckled the celebration on Twitter.
Embiid responded by tweeting a video interspersing his highlights with those of Triple-H's D-Generation-X.
Cameras caught Embiid posting the tweet to KD and looking very proud of himself before he sat for his news conference.
In a game where there were seven technical fouls, and constant posing and showboating, it's understandable that Embiid would do a wrestling celebration. The crowd was already booing Simmons like he was a heel. All that was missing was Tyrese Maxey dunking off a turnbuckle and Doc Rivers hitting Jacque Vaughn with a steel chair.
If these two teams meet in the playoffs, it'll be an absolute cage match, or at least a Royal Rumble. We hope that next time, Embiid stops the celebration at two pumps.
More must-reads: