According to US media reports, Joel Embiid pushed journalist Marcus Hayes after the latter mentioned his deceased brother.
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid pushed columnist Marcus Hayes hard inside the locker room. After the home team lost heavily to Santi Aldama’s Memphis Grizzlies (107-124) in a very turbulent season for the Philadelphia team, the clash moved rivers of ink among the various journalists who cover the NBA in the United States.
Embiid took issue with the Philadelphia Inquirer columnist, who mentioned the star center’s late brother and son, both named Arthur, in columns questioning Embiid’s professionalism and efforts to stay out of shape after participating in the Paris Olympics. Embiid has yet to play for the 76ers this season.
"Joel Embiid got into a physical altercation, shoving a columnist in the postgame locker room tonight." @ShamsCharania on Joel Embiid and the NBA's investigation into the incident on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/p2z3nJqrEY
— ESPN (@espn) November 3, 2024
PHLY Sports ‘ Kyle Neubeck recounted what he witnessed. “The second Joel realized (the columnist) was there, a verbal exchange began. Obviously we can’t repeat a lot of the words that were said , but the basics were, ‘You can say I’m really bad, you can say whatever you want about me as a player. But don’t ever put my dead brother’s name in your mouth. Don’t talk about my family (…). If you talk about my family we’re going to have real problems,'” he described.
“They continued to exchange and at one point, say 90 seconds or two minutes in, Joel pushed him. Team security intervenes , players kind of surround the situation and everyone kind of disperses,” he added. Shortly afterward, the NBA announced it had opened an investigation into the matter. The column was titled ” Joel Embiid disrespects the Sixers, basketball , the greats and himself. Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley are right to criticize him.”
En negro, el artículo original antes del altercado con Joel Embiid.
— Alejandro Gaitán (@alejandroggo) November 3, 2024
En blanco, la versión actual en la web. pic.twitter.com/jKgwhVRpan
“Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son Arthur as the most important turning point in his basketball career. He often says he wants to be a great in order to leave a legacy for the boy named after his little brother, who tragically died in a car accident when Embiid was in his first year as a Sixers player ,” the column began. “Well, to be great at your job, you have to go to work first. Embiid has been great for just the opposite. Now in his 11th season, he has been consistently in poor shape ,” the column continued. The column was later modified.