After a physical altercation with a reporter who mentioned his son and dead sibling in an article, Philadelphia 76ers player Joel Embiid has been suspended for three games by the NBA.
According to NBA.com, the suspension will begin with the first game he is eligible and able to play. Embiid has yet to play in this young season. He is being punished after shoving Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes after the 76ers lost to the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 2.
“Mutual respect is paramount to the relationship between players and media in the NBA,” Joe Dumars, executive vice president and head of Basketball Operations, said in a written statement. “While we understand Joel was offended by the personal nature of the original version of the reporter’s column, interactions must remain professional on both sides and can never turn physical.”
Yahoo Sports reported that Embiid was angry at Hayes after making references to his brother, who died in a car accident 10 years ago, and his son, Arthur, who was named after his deceased brother.
In the article, Hayes wrote, “Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son, Arthur, as the major inflection point in his basketball career. 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.”
After discovering that the paragraph upset the 76ers player, Hayes took to social media to apologize and inform the public that he rewrote the section.
So, I rewrote the lede to my column and replaced the picture. I can see why so many people were upset about it. Sorry about that.
Thanks for all of the constructive criticism. https://t.co/GE8xIHc22z
— Marcus Hayes (@inkstainedretch) October 23, 2024
The apology did not move Embiid at all as he discussed the disrespect he felt on Nov. 1 while speaking to reporters.
“Like that dude, he’s not here, Marcus, whatever his name is, I’ve done way too much for this f**king city to be treated like this. Done way too f**king much. I wish I was as lucky as other ones, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not trying and doing whatever it takes to be out there, which I’m gonna be pretty soon.”
On Nov. 2, after confronting the reporter, Embiid threatened him before shoving Hayes.
“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 told him.
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