NBA All-Star Joel Embiid, Noted Food-Eater, Apparently Hates Pizza

Pizza is a lot like sex: Surprisingly, some people just don't care for it. 

And one of those people (who doesn't care for pizza to be clear, I cannot comment on his sex life), is Philadelphia 76er's megastar Joel Embiid. He's seven-feet-tall. He's one of the NBA's biggest names. And he thinks pizza is gross. 

Well, specifically, "disgusting."

He told me this to my face, while I was interviewing him a few weeks back, at the Mountain Dew Ice Courtside Studios in Charlotte, North Carolina. I asked a slew of All-Stars some Thrillist-y questions: favorite vacation spots, ideal junk foods, if they'd rather spend an hour on the moon or a year at said favorite vacation spots. You know, pretty standard stuff. 

But when the good Mr. Embiid told me he thinks pizza is, and I quote, again, "disgusting," I had to break all semblance of professionalism (which doesn't take much admittedly). 

He then followed by saying he "just doesn't like the look of it."

That's right. He doesn't like the look, of this: 

Now, Joel grew up in Cameroon (which for the record, does at least have a couplepizza spots), so you might think maybe a greasy slice of Italian-American pizza might just be a little too much culture shock for the Process to process. 

But he moved to the states almost a decade ago, when his taste buds (and, you know, the rest of him) were only 16: certainly enough time to acclimate.

And furthermore, his affinity for junk food has been well-documented.

Consider this excerpt from a particularly well-known Sports Illustrated piece from 2015:

"Per a source, the Sixers’ training staff was so concerned about what he was eating, they stocked the refrigerator in his downtown hotel residence each week with healthy food. When a staffer went to restock the fridge each week, most everything was uneaten and unopened, and they were throwing out the fruits and vegetables every week. When the team subsequently asked to see Embiid’s room service bill, they found that most days he was ordering junk food along with his signature beverage, a pitcher of Shirley Temples. Embiid also was frequently seen feasting on chicken fingers and hot dogs at and after games."

Yes. His signature drink is a Shirley Temple (which is something I can actually get behind). 

What is certain, is that Mr. Embiid does not want to try pizza again. I asked him. I implored him. I told him I actually had some pizza in my backpack if he wants to indulge. He refused. 

And he said it's hard to change his mind. Judging by the aggressive, power-move manspread he was sporting, I tend to believe him. If you want to see what other NBA athletes -- oh, and also Migos -- think about junk food, pizza, vacation, and beer pong, check out the video above. 

Oh, and if you see Joel Embiid: give him a slice of pizza. If we all work together, perhaps we can make him a believer.

I don't always trust the process, but I always trust the pizza. 

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