Joel Embiid trolls Karl-Anthony Towns on Instagram after 76ers’ comeback win against the Timberwolves

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

• Joel Embiid had a solid game for the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night in his first game back from injury.
• After the game, Embiid once again trolled an opponent, this time picking Karl-Anthony Towns as his target.
• Towns attempted to clap back at Embiid in the comments of his Instagram post, only for the Sixers center to get the last laugh.

Joel Embiid still reigns as the best athlete on social media, most recently roasting Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Instagram after Towns thought he had the Philadelphia 76ers center cornered.

The back-and-forth began after the Sixers’ comeback win against the Timberwolves in Minnesota on Tuesday night. It was Embiid’s return to the Sixers’ lineup after missing a few games because of back tightness, and he had a strong 28-point performance that included two free throws in the closing seconds of regulation to force overtime and a game-sealing 3-pointer in the extra period.

Embiid celebrated the victory on Instagram, as he’s wont to do, posting a picture as well as a few subtle digs at his opponents.

Embiid captioned the photo “Euro stepping our way through Minnesota and we ended up raising the cat last night” and signed off with #TheProcess.

While “#RaiseTheCat” has become a celebration for Philadelphia fans, in which they post images of themselves lifting their cats on social media after the Sixers win, the comment could also easily be seen as a reference to Minnesota’s KAT: Karl-Anthony Towns, who was charged with defending Embiid for a good portion of the game.

Towns attempted to win the Instagram feud, commenting on Embiid’s post, “That caption was as trash as your photo quality.”

But Embiid, who remains undefeated in the realm of social-media warfare, got the last laugh, replying, “Better quality than your defense.”

It’s not Embiid’s first time having fun trolling opponents after a victory. When the Sixers beat the Lakers, Embiid posted a picture of his scoring on a drive as the rookie guard Lonzo Ball fell over beneath him. He’s shown acuity for winning the mental game on the court as well, diving for technical fouls and then getting into the heads of his opponents when he gets the call.

We still don’t know how good Embiid can be or whether he’ll be able to stay healthy over a long career, but right now there’s no question that he’s one of the most entertaining players to watch in the NBA.