Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid hasn’t reached the Eastern Conference finals throughout his 10 seasons in the NBA, however, the 30-year-old managed to notch a new feat on Saturday night by assaulting a reporter for the first time.
Embiid, standing at seven feet tall and weighing 280 pounds, shoved a Philadelphia reporter after the Sixers endured a 124-107 defeat from the Memphis Grizzlies, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Moments later, a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania claimed Embiid’s temper was a result of a column which referenced both Embiid’s son and the passing of his little brother who died in an automobile accident in 2014.
“Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son, Arthur, as the major inflection point in his basketball career,” the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Marcus Hayes wrote in October. “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.
“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.”
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the NBA is investigating the incident.
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Since the start of the season, Embiid has been at the center of Philadelphia’s spotlight for not playing after the seven-time All-Star and 2023 league MVP insinuated that he’d never play back-to-back games ever again. Embiid, of course, has dealt with an ongoing stretch of injuries that have hampered his ability to prepare for the workload of the NBA playoffs, recently underwent knee surgery — in February — and received a green light approval from the Sixers of an early season health management approach.
The NBA, on the other hand, launched an investigation and found the Sixers dishonest in their public comments regarding Embiid’s knee injury, slapping the franchise with a $100,000 fine last week as a result. It still hasn’t prompted or rushed Embiid to action, who missed his fifth straight game Saturday.
Philadelphia signed Embiid to a three-year, $192 million extension last offseason, almost a year before landing Paul George on a $212 million deal in free agency. Neither Embiid nor George have debuted this season and the Sixers have quickly fallen to 1-4, sitting third-to-dead last in the East thus far.
Featured image via Kyle Terada/Imagn Images
