Philadelphia 76ers star big man Joel Embiid has been suspended 3 games without pay for his role in a locker room incident in which Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Marcus Hayes was shoved.
The incident in question took place in the 76ers dressing room following the club’s 124-107 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. Embiid was reportedly upset over an article which Hayes wrote in which the reporter made mention of the 30 year old’s son and late brother, and questioned Embiid’s professionalism.
The 7x All-Star has yet to play this season as he continues to rehab his knee following an offseason procedure, but was reportedly nearing a return to on court action. As a result of the suspension, Embiid will forfeit $1,063,778 in pay.
“Mutual respect is paramount to the relationship between players and media in the NBA,” Executive VP, Head of Basketball Operations Joe 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.”
Embiid’s suspension will begin as soon as the club deems he is ready to return to the court. If the team feels their star centre is ready to return, they could make him eligible to begin serving his suspension this week, with a possible return to on court action coming as early as next Tuesday in Philadelphia.
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.