'Dragon Ball GT' Surprises With An Unexpected NBA Appearance

Just a massage and some anime to get hype for Game 1. 😂Never change, @JoelEmbiid. [...]

By Megan Peters

When you tune into a game of basketball, there are some things you expect to see. Obviously, athletes and inebriated fans are high on that list, but it seems like anime should rank on there somewhere as well. After all, more and more athletes are making their otakus interests known, and one just shared his recent Dragon Ball GT binge with the world.

Yes, that's right. Dragon Ball GT is getting some much-needed love these days, and it is coming from an all-star player. Over on Twitter, NBA on TNT outed Joel Embiid as the top player chilled on the sidelines to take an anime break. The athlete was seen lying down before his first game got going.

As you can see below, the network dug deep to see what had Embiid's careful attention. It turns out that something happened to be anime, and the 76ers center was seen watching an episode from Dragon Ball GT's final arc.

Of course, there may be some who are surprised by the show, and it has nothing to do with it being anime. When it comes to Dragon Ball, the series is best-known for its original anime and Dragon Ball Z. The arrival of Dragon Ball GT was a controversial one as it wasn't sourced from creator Akira Toriyama, and its debut arc continues to churn debate. However, it seems Embiid was watching part of the 'Shadow Dragon' saga which featured some intriguing new takes on Shenron. So, the basketball player knew to binge the one arc fans often praise Dragon Ball GT for.

If you are not familiar with Embiid, then you may have a new favorite baller. The athlete was born in March 1994 in Cameroon, and he grew up an avid sports fan. After playing college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks, he was drafted in 2014 by the 76ers. Since his debut, Embiid as gone on to become a top-tier member of the 76ers and was even named an All-Star in 2017-18.

Right now, Dragon Ball Super airs its English dub on Adult Swim during the Toonami programming block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m. It is also available to stream on Funimation and Amazon Video. The Japanese language release of the series is complete, and available to stream on Funimation, VRV, and Crunchyroll.

Are you glad to see Dragon Ball GT is getting some love? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!

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