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Joel Embiid, who has been feuding with the media recently, took it to a physical level on Saturday night.
The 76ers center shoved Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes following the Philadelphia’s 124-107 home loss to the Grizzlies, taking issue with his recent column that referenced the player’s late brother and son — according to ESPN’s Shams Charania — but no punches were thrown.
The incident came a day after Embiid directly mentioned Hayes after Hayes wrote his scathing column calling the center “the least-dependable superstar in the history of the game,” while also referencing his family members.
Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Keith Pompey posted the following on X after 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.” He then followed it up with another tweet that said: “The reporter was “shoved” by Embiid.”
An NBA spokesperson told The Athletic, “We are aware of reports of an incident in the Sixers locker room this evening and are commencing an investigation.”
Embiid, who has yet to make his 2024-25 debut with what the team refers to as left knee management, also clashed with the media on Friday over speculation questioning his toughness and desire to play.
“I’ve broken my face twice. I came back early with the risk of losing my vision,” Embiid told reporters on Friday. “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 30-year-old Embiid, a former NBA MVP, has dealt with numerous lower-body injuries throughout his 10-year career, and on Friday said his return to the court will count on “trusting” his balky right knee, but he anticipates playing “pretty soon.”
“I think it’s about being comfortable, trusting it,” Embiid said. “I want to be at my best. I don’t want to be in a situation where I’m afraid if I do this, I might do something. … Mentally I’m just dealing with getting that trust back.”
With Saturday’s loss, the 76ers fell to 1-4, including an 0-3 home record.
