The best enemy of French basketball does not only make friends across the Atlantic. Team USA and Philadelphia star pivot Joel Embiid, MVP in 2023, was suspended three games for “hustling” a journalist, the NBA announced on Tuesday.
Embiid had shoved Saturday in the locker room a journalist from the Philadelphia Inquirer Marcus Hayes who had recently written an editorial critical of him, referring to the son and late brother of the 30-year-old pivot, in a text which deplored the absences of the player on the parquet floors.
A gold medalist this summer at the Olympics with the United States, Embiid, whose career has been marred by injuries, missed the 76ers’ first six games, citing problems with his left knee, for which he had surgery in February.
“Interactions must remain professional”
“While we understand that Joel may have been offended by the personal nature of the first version of the reporter’s editorial, interactions should remain professional on both sides and should never become physical,” commented Joe Dumars, vice president of the NBA cited in the press release.
The NBA states that Embiid’s suspension will begin during the next regular season game for which he is “available and ready to play”, and that he will be deprived of salary during his suspension. Strengthened this summer by the arrival of Paul George, Philadelphia is having a difficult start to the season with 5 defeats and only one victory.
