Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid reportedly shoved columnist Marcus Hayes in Philadelphia’s locker room following the team’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.
“Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid shoved a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist in the Sixers locker room Saturday night, multiple league sources confirmed to The Athletic,” wrote David Aldridge, Tony Jones and Sam Amick. “The physical altercation occurred after Embiid and the columnist, Marcus Hayes, argued following Philadelphia’s 124-107 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.”
The NBA is reportedly investigating the incident.
Regarding the Joel Embiid incident with a reporter this evening, an NBA spokesperson says…
"We are aware of reports of an incident in the Sixers locker room this evening and are commencing an investigation."
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) November 3, 2024
Hayes came under fire recently after writing a piece on Embiid that included a reference to the former MVP’s family.
Man, look. If you write this, you gotta be accountable to the player. This isn't talking about what Joel Embiid is doing on the court. This is ridiculous.
Is it worth getting physical with the dude? IDK, I want way more details on how this whole thing escalated. pic.twitter.com/lIXkwNrIk8
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) November 3, 2024
Hayes issued an apology after his controversial piece was published.
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
Kevin Cooney and Noah Levick of NBC10 Philadelphia shared more details on how everything unfolded in the locker room after Saturday’s game.
“As reporters entered the locker room to talk to players, Embiid stood and confronted Hayes,” Cooney and Levick wrote.
“‘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 said to Hayes.
“Embiid continued, with several instances of profanity in the next few sentences. Hayes offered an apology, which Embiid did not want. ‘That’s not the f—— first time.’ Embiid said.
“Embiid later said that he doesn’t care what reporters say. ‘But you do,’ Hayes answered.
“Embiid appeared to get louder at that point, and not long afterward pushed Hayes on the shoulder while the team’s public relations chief got between them. Another PR person moved Tyrese Maxey’s interview to the hallway outside the locker room, trying to clear reporters.
“At the same time, a team security person asked the media not to report on what had happened. Embiid yelled over the security guard.
“‘They can do whatever they want,’ Embiid said. ‘I don’t give a s—.'”
In 2014, Embiid’s brother was hit by a truck in Cameroon and lost his life at just 13 years old. Embiid’s son is named after his late brother.
Embiid has put together a remarkable run in recent years, winning two scoring titles and one MVP award over his last three seasons. This season, expectations are high for him and the 76ers with star forward Paul George now in the fold, but the team has struggled out of the gate.
Embiid and George have both yet to debut this season due to injury woes, and the team is 1-4. The hope is that things will turn around for Philly in the near future, and the squad will certainly have a very different look once Embiid and George are on the floor.
It’s tough to predict how the NBA will handle the situation at hand. The league’s investigation could yield some additional findings. While Embiid wanting to stick up for his family is understandable, the NBA likely wants to ensure that players and reporters never engage in physical confrontations.
The 76ers will be back in action on Monday for a matchup against the Phoenix Suns. That will be the first leg of a three-game road trip that will also feature games against the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers.
Embiid could make his season debut during the road trip. The 76ers are hoping to string some wins together and get back to .500 as they look to build toward what could still be a successful season.
