76ers’ Embiid Suspended After Shoving Reporter
The penalty stems from an altercation in the 76ers locker room on Saturday after the team fell 124-107 to the Memphis Grizzlies. Embiid struck and shoved Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Marcus Hayes after taking exception to an that Hayes had written.
In the , Hayes criticized Embiid's lack of conditioning and said he disrespects the game with his constant missing of contests. Hayes also referenced Embiid's late brother, Arthur, who died in a 2014 car crash, as well as Joel Embiid's son, who is 4 and is named after Arthur.
In its decision to suspend Embiid, Joe Dumars, a Hall of Fame player and now the NBA's executive vice president and head of basketball operations, cited mandatory respect between players and the press.
"Mutual respect is paramount to the relationship between players and media in the NBA," Dumars said. "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."
Since Embiid hasn't played this season, with no firm timetable for when he is set to debut, his suspension will begin with the first regular-season game in which he is eligible to play. That date is uncertain because the team and player have an injury management plan in place to optimize Embiid for the long haul of both the regular season and a potential postseason run.
The 2022-23 MVP, Embiid looked well on his way to possibly repeating as MVP last season before knee surgery in February sidelined him for two months. He returned at the end of the regular season, played in all six postseason games, then suited up for five of the six games for Team USA at the Summer Olympics.
There's been no apparent injury or procedure since the Olympics ended in August, so Embiid's ongoing absence has resulted in confusion from fans and criticism from media members like Hayes.
Philadelphia has played 807 regular season games since drafting Embiid third overall in 2014, and he has suited up for 433 of those, or 54 percent.
