Fights happen in sports. Heck, just ask Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, who recently said he wants fighting to be a thing in basketball. I’m not sure he meant players getting into it with journalists, though.
That’s exactly what happened with Philadelphia 76ers star, Joel Embiid. The reigning MVP was in an altercation with a local sports columnist who wrote a not-so-nice story, pointing out the player’s missed games and essentially calling him a disappointment to his late brother and young son. Yikes.
That reporter quickly found out his egregious story and his title as a media member doesn’t make him immune to human emotion. Embiid was clearly pissed at the contents of the column and called the reporter out on it after the game – which he did not play in.
Cue a shove and some verbal sparring that had NBA social media abuzz on Saturday evening. As of this writing, the league is investigating this situation and figuring out how they should govern something like this.
If you’re unfamiliar with the league, stuff like this just doesn’t happen. I can’t recall ever seeing an athlete get into it with a reporter to this extent, so there’s not really any precedent on what the repercussions could or will be.
I don’t even want to spotlight the reporter or the story he wrote because it’s so ludicrous. That being said, the paragraph in question has circulated everywhere so it’s worth highlighting the part that sent Embiid over the edge.
“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,” the columnist wrote. “Well, in order to be great at your job, you first have to show up for work. Embiid has been great at just the opposite…”
All of that was uncalled for, to be honest. Calling a player out for not playing up to standards or even questioning his motivation with a questionable injury is fair. Looping all of that into his son and dead brother is beyond low.
According to the Associated Press and those in the locker room, Embiid traded words with the reporter prior to shoving him, “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.”
This is an absolutely wild story that’s making the NBA season feel more like a reality show than a sport. We’ll see what transpires next, but I have a feeling this won’t be the end of this.
The post NBA MVP Joel Embiid Reportedly Shoved Reporter for Mentioning His Late Brother appeared first on VICE.
The post NBA MVP Joel Embiid Reportedly Shoved Reporter for Mentioning His Late Brother appeared first on VICE.
