Joel Embiid reportedly shoved a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist who had recently written a critical comment against him, referring to the 30-year-old center’s son and late brother.
“We are aware of reports of an incident in the Sixers locker room this evening and we are beginning an investigation,” said an NBA spokesperson quoted by American media.
Embiid, the NBA’s best player in 2023, who also won gold at the Paris Olympics with the United States this summer, has not played at all this season due to a knee injury .
In his absence, the Sixers got off to a bad start, including their fourth defeat in five matches, conceded at home on Saturday against Memphis (124-107).
ESPN reporter Shams Charania said that after the setback, Embiid got into a “verbal exchange” with the reporter who wrote the critical article, Marcus Hayes of the Inquirer.
“Embiid objected to a recent article that referenced his deceased brother and son, and Embiid shoved the reporter. There was no punch,” Charania said.
In a recent op-ed dedicated to Embiid’s ongoing injury issues, Hayes questioned the Sixers star’s commitment to the “greatness” of his sport.
“Joel Embiid regularly discusses the birth of his son, Arthur, as the major inflection point in his basketball career,” Hayes wrote.
“He often says he wants to be great to leave a legacy for the boy named after his little brother, who died tragically in a car accident when Embiid was in his first year as a Sixer” in October 2014, according to the text.
“To be great at your job, you first have to show up for work. Embiid showed himself to be great at doing just the opposite,” Hayes scathed.
