Joel Embiid has not yet put on a Philadelphia 76ers uniform at the start of the NBA season, and the Philadelphia sports market being what it is, his absence has earned him his share of reprimands.
Embiid seems willing to largely ignore these criticisms, but don't you dare mention members of his family in passing.
According to informant Shams Charania, of the network ESPNEmbiid allegedly physically attacked a journalist assigned to cover the Sixers after Saturday's game.
Embiid judged that Marcus Hayes had crossed the line in his recent writings, and Charania claims that Embiid “pushed” him during the altercation, even if “no blows were thrown”.
Hayes recently wrote that Embiid “should first and foremost show up for work” if he wants to “leave a legacy worthy of what he says he wants to leave for his son Arthur, named in honor of his late brother.” .
Embiid's brother died in a car accident in 2014, at the age of 13, during Joel's first season in the NBA.
“Now in his 11th season, he has consistently been in poor physical condition. This poor physical form seems to explain his absence to start the season,” Hayes wrote in the same article.
Later, Embiid expressed his frustration with the criticism leveled at him, particularly in Philadelphia newspapers.
“When I hear people say that I don't want to play… I've done too much for this team, for this city, for anyone to question my desire to play,” summed up the American native of Cameroon.
“It’s bullshit. Like this guy, Marcus… whatever his name is, he's not here. I have done too much for this city to be treated in this f***ing way,” he repeated.
