The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

ALTHOUGH he towers over his opponents on the court, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was no match for the 60-foot tunnel drop through a shark-filled tank at Atlantis Paradise Island Resort.

The seven-foot NBA star jetted to The Bahamas this month to celebrate model Jocelyn Chew's birthday with a few guests including 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin.

Still, the mini trip wasn't all relaxation and rejuvenation because the big baller exerted a lot of energy building up courage to ride Atlantis' Leap of Faith slide.

In videos posted to social media, Embiid is seen being coaxed for several minutes, before finally obliging and taking the big plunge.

In a photo posted to Instagram, Mr Rubin stated: "This took us exactly 37 minutes to convince @joelembiid to go down the slide. He only got in and out six times before he went!!!!! #LeapOfFaith."

In response, Embiid posted another photo to his own Instagram account, which was captioned: "Scary experience that will never happen again... Fought for my life holding on to the sides, almost drown because Black people can't swim but it was fun #TheProcess."

Fans say it is a much-deserved vacation for Embiid following a great season.

ESPN reports the player logged 22.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.76 blocks per game for the last 63 games.