Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid has been accused of shoving a reporter in the aftermath of a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Keith Pompey tweeted, ‘Oh, boy, people will remember the Sixers season for all the wrong reasons. The team just dropped to 1-4 and Joel Embiid assaulted a reporter in the locker room.’
In a later tweet from ESPN’s Shams Charania, he reported that Embiid ‘got in an altercation with a columnist following tonight’s game in Philadelphia. Embiid took issue with a recent column that referenced his late brother and son, and Embiid shoved the columnist. No punch.’
While the tweet from Charania did not specifically name the columnist, it’s likely referencing an article written by the Inquirer’s Marcus Hayes that criticized the 7-foot Embiid’s work ethic while referring to his late brother, Arthur.
‘Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son, Arthur, as the major inflection point in his basketball career,’ Hayes’ column from October read. ‘He often says that he wants to be great to leave a legacy for the boy named after his little brother, who tragically died in an automobile accident when Embiid was in his first year as a 76er.’
Sixers star Joel Embiid has been accused of shoving a reporter in the locker room
The next paragraph reads: ‘Well, in order to be great at your job, you first have to show up for work. Embiid has been great at just the opposite. Now in his 11th season, he consistently has been in poor condition. This poor conditioning apparently seems to have delayed his debut this season.’
Just on Friday, Embiid hit out at Philadelphia media – and specifically called out Hayes – who have been critical of the former MVP and have accused him of not wanting to play basketball.
‘When I see people say ‘he does not wanna play,’ I’ve done way too much for this city, putting myself at risk for people to be saying that. I do think this is bulls***,’ Embiid said.
‘Like that dude, he’s not here, Marcus, I’ve done way too much for this f***ing city to be treated like this. Done way too f***ing much. I wish I was as lucky as the other ones, but that does not mean I’m not doing whatever it takes to be out there, which I’m gonna be.’
Embiid has not played valuable basketball since helping Team USA win gold in the Paris Olympics.
Suspicions about his absence led the NBA to fine the 76ers $100,000 on Tuesday. The charge came after team president Daryl Morey and head coach Nick Nurse made inconsistent public statements about Embiid’s health.
This comes just weeks after Embiid inked a $193million deal to extend his stay in Philadelphia.
Back in October, Embiid drew criticism after reports surfaced claiming that the center was ‘done’ with playing in back-to-back games.
This altercation comes at a time where the debate around reporter access to locker rooms has intensified.
In the NFL, the players’ union has begun the process of trying to eliminate locker room interviews after games – saying they should take place outside of the changing areas.
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