Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid ‘assaults reporter in locker room’
Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid has been accused of shoving a reporter in the aftermath of a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
According to a report from the Associated Press, Embiid confronted Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes over an article he wrote referring to the 7-footer’s late brother and his son.
‘The next time you bring up my dead brother and my son again, you are going to see what I’m going to do to you and I’m going to have to… live with the consequences,’ Embiid reportedly said.
The Sixers star then continued his conversation with Hayes, using profanity multiple times. When Hayes offered to apologize, Embiid didn’t accept, saying, ‘That’s not the f****** first time.’
Later, Embiid said that he doesn’t care what reporters say – leading Hayes to respond, ‘But you do’.
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Sixers star Joel Embiid has been accused of shoving a reporter in the locker room
Reports say that Embiid then got louder and then pushed Hayes on the shoulder while the team’s public relations chief got between them.
When a team security person asked the media not to report on what happened, Embiid yelled, ‘They can do whatever they want, I don’t give a s**t.’
An NBA spokesperson told Sam Amick of The Athletic, ‘We are aware of reports of an incident in the Sixers locker room this evening and are commencing an investigation.’
Hayes recently wrote a column claiming that Embiid disrespects the 76ers and the game of basketball – going so far as to suggest that the Sixers should give fans refunds when the former MVP doesn’t play.
‘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.’
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.
Embiid hasn’t played significant basketball since winning gold with Team USA in Paris
‘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.
Alongside fellow injured star Paul George, Embiid missed the Sixers’ season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks just weeks ago.
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.
Embiid is one of the best players in the league, when healthy, having won MVP back in 2023
When fully healthy, Embiid is one of the biggest stars in world basketball – as was on display over the summer at the Paris Olympics.
Embiid has played in Philadelphia his entire NBA career since being selected third overall in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Since then, he’s been one of the most dominant centers in the league – earning seven All-Star appearances, being named to the All-NBA First Team once, and the All-NBA Second Team four times.
Of course, the biggest accomplishment of his career so far was being named MVP of the league in 2023 – in a year where he took home a second-successive NBA scoring title.
