CAMDEN, N.J. — Joel Embiid remembers the moment it happened, that night back in Kansas when he took a (non-alcoholic) sip and was hooked. It was then that Embiid’s affinity for Shirley Temples began.
“One night I went out with my teammates,” Embiid explained at shootaround Wednesday. “I don’t drink alcohol so I wasn’t drinking. This girl walked up to me, she was talking to me, she was like, ‘Why aren’t you drinking?’ I was like, ‘I just don’t drink, alcohol is nasty.’ She said, ‘I might have something for you.’ She went and got a Shirley Temple. Then I was like, ‘Ohhh OK.’ Then I fell in love with it and since then, I’ve been drinking it.”
Embiid has been closely tied to his favorite beverage since he entered the NBA in 2014. He has spoken about consuming pitchers of Shirley Temples, which he has been cutting back. Embiid said he still has one drink “almost every day.” His ingredients of choice are grenadine and ginger ale.
“I used to drink a lot of them,” he said. “But I’ve got to keep my diet.”
The Sixers have launched an All-Star voting campaign for Embiid around his drink of choice. On Wednesday, those at the game can purchase 16-ounce Shirley Temples for $5 at all bar locations in the Wells Fargo Center.
Robert Covington said Embiid is consistent with ordering a Shirley Temple and a water whenever he gets to a restaurant. Even though Embiid’s love for the drink is well known, he still raises eyebrows when requesting one. The reactions of surprise don't faze him.
“Everybody looks at me like, ‘What do you mean, Shirley Temples?’” Embiid said. “That’s all I drink. That’s the best drink ever.”