{"id":105384,"date":"2024-11-06T08:02:02","date_gmt":"2024-11-06T13:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=105384"},"modified":"2024-11-06T08:02:02","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T13:02:02","slug":"sixers-response-joel-embiid-altercation-lead-split","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/06\/sixers-response-joel-embiid-altercation-lead-split\/","title":{"rendered":"Sixers\u2019 Response To Joel Embiid Altercation Might Lead To Split"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>On Tuesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver decided to punish Philadelphia 76ers franchise star <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/e\/embiijo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joel Embiid<\/a> for his role in a locker room altercation that involved The Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Marcus Hayes.<\/p>\n<p>Embiid will be suspended for three games, per ESPN\u2019s Shams Charania, costing him over a $1 million in forfeited wages.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The NBA has suspended Philadelphia 76ers\u2019 Joel Embiid for three games for altercation shoving a columnist in a postgame locker room. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/odkbFwuA0p\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/odkbFwuA0p<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShamsCharania\/status\/1853913338322780245?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 5, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>After the incident, Sixers president Daryl Morey and general manager Elton Brand personally apologized to Hayes, saying Embiid\u2019s actions were \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/sixers\/joel-embiid-marcus-hayes-sixers-inquirer-locker-room-grizzlies-20241103.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">unacceptable<\/a>,\u201d per The Philadelphia Inquirer\u2019s Gina Mizell.<\/p>\n<h2>Sixers\u2019 Response To Joel Embiid Altercation Might Lead To Split<\/h2>\n<p>The facts are clear.<\/p>\n<p>Hayes crossed a line, unspoken or not, by using a player\u2019s deceased relatives to drive home a disparaging comment about their lack of availability.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Here\u2019s what Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes wrote, before his altercation with Joel Embiid tonight: <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7nVvs4RfnP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/7nVvs4RfnP<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Phil_Lewis_\/status\/1852913670797345215?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 3, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Embiid, taking exception to a low blow, shoved a media member. He then made an ambiguous threat, warning Hayes not to bring up his family again. As a professional and organizational leader, he also erred.<\/p>\n<p>From there, it\u2019s all subjective.<\/p>\n<p>(1) Hayes offered an apology. That may not have led to a kumbaya moment but it should\u2019ve de-escalated the situation. However, if Hayes continued to goad Embiid, was his heart really in the apology? Many of us have been apologized to, or have even been the one saying sorry, and known there was a lack of sincerity.<\/p>\n<p>(2) Embiid\u2019s push has been characterized as <em>assault<\/em>. By dictionary definition and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/archives\/jm\/criminal-resource-manual-1610-assault-18-usc-351e\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">even by law<\/a>, it could fall into that category. However, it was a single open-handed push to the shoulder area. Unless Hayes was pushed into or down something, it\u2019s hard to feel like he was in danger. That being said, Embiid is an extraordinarily large human at 7-foot-0 and well over 250 pounds. A normal-sized person might feel like they really were harmed.<\/p>\n<p>(3) The threat is another type of <em>assault<\/em>, legally speaking. One can only speculate but it sounds as if Embiid was willing to rough Hayes up if he found out that the reporter made more comments about his family. To some, Embiid\u2019s attempt to instill fear in Hayes by alluding to physical violence is just as bad or even worse than him actually pushing him.<\/p>\n<h3>Sixers Should\u2019ve Had His Back<\/h3>\n<p>With all of the information at hand, two thoughts come to mind. The first is that both individuals crossed a line, and two wrong don\u2019t make a right. The second is that although Embiid misstepped, the Sixers should\u2019ve defended him with at least as much vigor as The Philadelphia Inquirer has defended Hayes.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">In a statement, Inquirer editor and senior vice president Gabriel Escobar said \u201cMarcus is an experienced and accomplished columnist who offers sharp and illuminating commentary grounded in his observations. You are free to disagree with what he says, but a physical assault is\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 J\ud83d\udc10 (@SixersJustin) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SixersJustin\/status\/1853154686301270502?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 3, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>This wasn\u2019t a player just going off the rails because he didn\u2019t like something written about him. This was a player reacting to someone disrespecting the memory of his deceased little brother, who he loves deeply.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">This is what Joel Embiid had to say about how he felt at the time of his little brother&#8217;s tragic death. Really gross of Marcus Hayes to invoke his name to prove a silly point, and it&#8217;s no wonder why Joel snapped the way he did. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oQvKVy6MTK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/oQvKVy6MTK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \ud83e\udd88\ud83d\udc0b (@EmbiidPlzWin) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EmbiidPlzWin\/status\/1853035074251272527?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 3, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Instead, Morey and Brand publicly kowtowed while offering no defense of their franchise star. Their lack of situational awareness has left even Embiid\u2019s most staunch critics wondering how that\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n<h3>Is A Trade Request Imminent?<\/h3>\n<p>Embiid recently <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/20\/philadelphia-76ers-ink-extension-with-joel-embiid-what-it-means-going-forward\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">signed a contract extension<\/a> with the Sixers, who amassed plenty of talent in the offseason. However, he may need to think about demanding a trade, whether it\u2019s this season or next summer. Right now, he\u2019s working for individuals who not only didn\u2019t have his back publicly but threw him under the bus.<\/p>\n<p>How can he trust, respect, or grow a deeper connection with people who have done that?<\/p>\n<p>Ironically, this is why <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/simmobe01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ben Simmons<\/a> requested a trade from the Sixers. In that instance, it was Embiid and Doc Rivers publicly throwing him under the bus for his poor decision-making. That fractured Simmons\u2019s relationship with the franchise more than any shot he passed up did.<\/p>\n<p>Whether it\u2019s karmic or history just tends to repeat itself, Embiid is now in a similar position as Simmons was. Will he make the same decision though?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Tuesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver decided to punish Philadelphia 76ers franchise star Joel Embiid for his role in a locker room altercation that involved The Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Marcus Hayes. Embiid will be suspended for three games, per ESPN\u2019s Shams Charania, costing him over a $1 million in forfeited wages. The NBA has suspended [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":105387,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13,1608,62,3],"tags":[1107,224,267],"class_list":["post-105384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-76ers","category-basketball","category-nba","category-news","tag-daryl-morey","tag-elton-brand","tag-joel-embiid"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105384"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105384\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}