No One Cared Who I Was Until I Put On The Mask| Joel Embiid ‘no one cared who I was until I put on the mask’ meme explained
76ers fans were left disappointed when superstar centre Joel Embiid did not play against the Miami Heat during Game 3 of the Eastern conference finals on Thursday night.
The Cameroonian big man had been wearing a protective headgear since suffering a concussion in Game 2 against the New York Knicks, but he opted to take off the device prior to tip-off.
Afterwards, Embiid posted a photo of himself donning a black mask on social media, along with the caption “No one cares about me until I put on the #mask.”
Embiid later shared another image of his face covered in the same shade of black, alongside the hashtag “#F*ckYouHeat”.
In the post, he wrote: “I’m ready for my closeup!”
The Sixers lost the game 102-89, but won the series 2-1.
Meanwhile, LeBron James led the Heat to victory in Game 4, scoring 29 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a 111-98 victory.
James finished with 31 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in the win.
Why was Joel Embiid wearing a mask?
The Philadelphia 76ers star had been dealing with pain in his left eye since Game 4 against the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference semifinals. But the injury became much worse over the course of Game 5, as Embiid suffered a broken nose and facial fractures. He missed Game 6, and now faces a difficult road ahead.
In the aftermath of the game, Sixers coach Brett Brown revealed that Embiid was playing with a protective mask because of a “tear in his eye.” However, according to NBA trainer Keith Jones, there was no tear, just swelling around the eye socket. In fact, Embiid told reporters that he didn’t even know why he was wearing a mask.
But things got worse for him in Game 6. After taking an elbow to the face from teammate Siakam, Embiid fell backward into the lane. As he lay on the floor, he was hit again, this time by Raptors forward Serge Ibaka. This time, Embiid went down hard, and stayed down. He was helped up, but couldn’t return to the court.
After the game, Brown said that Embiid’s injury wasn’t serious, and that he could play in Game 7. But the Sixers lost the series in seven games.
Joel Embiid ‘no one cared who I was until I put on the mask’ meme explained
After winning game three against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, Joel Embiid posted a photo of himself on Instagram wearing a black face mask. He wrote alongside it, “No one cares about me until I put on the #mask.”
Fans wanted to know what the post meant and whether the popular quote from The Dark Knight Rises was being referenced.
The quote is actually from Christopher Nolans film The Dark Knight Risess, starring Christian Bale as Batmans archenemy, Bane.
In the movie, Bane is well-known to wear a mask which dispenses some sort of anaesthetic that keeps the pain just below the threshold, allowing him to function.
It also distorts his voice, making him hard to understand.
Embiid also posts Idris Elba ‘The Wire’ meme
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid shared a meme featuring actor Idris Elba, best known for his role as Stringer Bell in the hit TV drama The Wire. The meme features a screenshot of Elba saying, “I want you to put word out there that we backs up.”
In the series, Bell says it after he gets his drug operation back up and rolling.