Star center Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers boiled over on Saturday night, shoving Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes following the team’s 124-107 home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Embiid was angry about a recent Hayes column that referenced the inspiration the player has said he draws from his son and late brother, going on to slam his efforts to live up to that inspiration by questioning his efforts to stay in shape and calling the center “the least-dependable superstar in the history of the game.”
The column offended readers enough that Hayes removed those references from the story later the same day.
With Saturday’s loss, the 76ers fell to 1-4, including 0-3 at home. Embiid didn’t play for the fifth consecutive game since the season began.
On Saturday, Hayes was confronted by Embiid as reporters entered the locker room.
“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 said to Hayes, punctuating his statement with some profanities.
Hayes offered an apology, but Embiid wasn’t having it. “That’s not the f–king first time,” Embiid reportedly said.
Things reached a climax when Embiid claimed he doesn’t care what reporters say. “But you do,” Hayes replied. Embiid then escalated his volume and pushed Hayes on the shoulder.
At that point, a 76ers PR person jumped between them. A second PR person moved an interview with guard Tyrese Maxey to the hallway outside the locker room in an effort to clear reporters.
A team security person asked media not to report the incident, but Embiid shouted down that notion. “They can do whatever they want. I don’t give a s–t.”
The NBA has said it will investigate the incident and decide whether disciplinary action is warranted.
Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Keith Pompey posted on X about the incident. “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.”
Embiid indicated his growing anger at the media on Friday.
“I’ve broken my face twice. I came back early with the risk of losing my vision,” Embiid told reporters. “When I see people saying, he doesn’t want to play, I’ve done way too much for this city, putting myself at risk for people to be saying that. I do think it’s bulls–t. … I’ve done way too much for this f–king city to be treated like this.”
The slow start by the 76ers has seen Embiid and newly acquired forward Paul George yet to play. Both were expected to lead the team far in the playoffs this season.
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