Sixers
Joel Embiid says he started drinking Shirley Temples because he doesn’t drink alcohol
Published12 Jan 2017
By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Now that he appears to have put a foot injury that cost him the first two seasons of his NBA career in the rearview mirror, Joel Embiid has become synonymous with a few things. The first, as expected, is off the charts talent for someone who missed two seasons and didn't start playing basketball until high school. The second is an equally impressive personality that suggests that as long as he stays healthy, he could be a superstar in the league.
Embiid has also become known for his love of Shirley Temples, a drink that he once joked (?) that he had 'three to four pitchers' of every day. Prior to this morning's shootaround, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer managed to get Embiid to explain where his love of Shirley Temples came from:
#Sixers center @JoelEmbiid tells the media how he started drinking Shirley Temples. pic.twitter.com/NQgTrPcQBU
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) January 11, 2017
"I was at Kansas one night. When I got to college, I didn't go out at all. Then one night I went with my teammates and I wasn't drinking, I don't drink alcohol. So I wasn't drinking and this girl walked up to me, she was like "Why aren't you drinking?'. And then I was like 'I just don't drink, alcohol is nasty.' And she was like 'uh, I might have something for you.' So she went and got a Shirley Temple and I was like, 'oh, alright.' And then I fell in love with it and since then I've been drinking it."
It's ironic that Embiid can now jokingly explain to Pompey his love of Shirley Temples, because it wasn't that long ago that Pompey published a report that suggested that Embiid was pushing 300 pounds and the Sixers were not happy with his work ethic. Naturally, Embiid balked at the report, just like most Sixers fans did to one from the Cauldron that initially exposed his love for Shirley Temples. Embiid has since turned his love for the sugary beverage into a positive.
Embiid used his Instagram for much of last year to suggest that as he got into incredible shape that "#ShirleyTemplesdidthis," often also balking at the idea of him being 300 pounds.
For their part, the Sixers sold Shirley Temples at last night's game, even making sure that Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia announcers Marc Zumoff and Alaa Aldelnaby were properly hydrated during last night's win over the New York Knicks.
