Following Joel Embiid’s powerful dunk in the second quarter of the U.S. men’s basketball game on Thursday, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley encouraged Embiid on social media.
During the U.S. team’s semifinal match against Serbia in Paris, Staley wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Ladies and gentlemen, these are my @sixers @JoelEmbiid! Let’s go, damn it!!!!”
This was by far the first time Staley tweeted about events related to the 2024 Olympics, but her message Thursday goes beyond mere excitement, as Embiid plays for the Philadelphia 76ers, Staley’s hometown NBA team.
Staley, a Philadelphia native, has been to numerous 76ers games and posted extensively about the 76ers’ NBA playoff series against the New York Knicks in the spring. In April, she attended Games 3 and 4 of the playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center and had the opportunity to ring the bell and hug 76ers legend Allen Iverson.
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Staley watched the U.S. women’s basketball team play live on Wednesday as the Americans, led by former player A’ja Wilson, defeated Nigeria in the quarterfinals.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email [email protected] and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dawn Staley praises Joel Embiid after his epic dunk in Olympic semifinals