Local columnist crosses the line with “Don’t touch my family!”… Embiid is rightly furious
Embiid was furious.
The Philadelphia 76ers lost 107-124 against the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2024-2025 NBA regular season at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Wednesday (Feb. 3).
Philadelphia is off to a rough start to the season. They have a 1-4 record, winning only against Indiana and losing all of their other games.
The biggest culprit is a power leak due to injuries, especially with ace Joel Embiid out with a knee injury. 무료 토토사이트 Embiid is an absolute staple for Philadelphia.
There was even a disturbance in the locker room after the game. Embiid got into an argument with the local press.
Embiid had a clear reason to be angry. It started with an article written by Marcus Hayes, a columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Hayes criticized Embiid for his frequent injury absences and mentioned his brother and son.
Embiid’s brother was tragically killed in a car accident 10 years ago. Injuries delayed Embiid’s NBA debut, and his brother’s death made for a difficult time.
At one point, he even considered retiring, and in interviews, he has expressed his affection for his brother. He even named his son Arthur after his brother. It’s never pleasant to hear your brother’s name mentioned in this way.
In a recent article, Hayes wrote, “Joel Embiid has consistently cited the birth of his son Arthur as the biggest turning point in his career. He often says he wants to leave a legacy for his son, named after his brother who was tragically killed in a car accident during his first year in Philadelphia. But to be great at work, you have to show up. This is his 11th season, and he hasn’t been consistently healthy.”
Hayes received a lot of criticism shortly after writing the article, and after correcting the piece, he took to social media to say, “I understand why a lot of people were upset about it. I apologize. I appreciate the constructive criticism,” he apologized.
“I’ve injured my face twice, I came back early at the risk of losing my sight, and I came back when I broke my finger,” he says. And I’ve seen people say ‘Embiid doesn’t want to play’. But I’ve done so much for this city that I think that’s bullshit. Marcus Hayes. Whatever his name is, whatever he says, I’ve done a lot for the city. I wish I was as lucky as everybody else, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t work for it,” he said in a public interview, taking a shot at Hayes.
Embiid met with Hayes in the Philadelphia locker room after the Memphis game. PHLY Sports Network reporter Kyle Newbeck, who is well versed in the Philadelphia scene, elaborated on the back-and-forth between Embiid and Hayes.
“There was an altercation back and forth between Embiid and Hayes. The basic gist of it was that he said, ‘You can say I suck, you can say whatever you want about me as a player. But don’t bring up my dead brother’s name. Don’t talk about my family, don’t bring them into this. If you want to talk about basketball, that’s a different matter, but if you start talking about my family again, we’re going to have a real problem,’” Newbeck said.
According to Newbeck, Embiid did shove Hayes, but the situation ended when security came in and the players stopped him. There was reportedly no physical altercation.
The NBA’s office has launched an investigation into the incident. President Daryl Morey said in an interview that he has spoken with the NBA, so it’s not unlikely that Embiid will be disciplined.