By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
It may have happened off the court, but the National Basketball Association (NBA) wouldn’t let something like that pass like a normal day in the office.
Two days after Joel Embiid shoved Philadelphia Inquirer’s columnist Marcus Hayes, the organization was quick to release its verdict and slapped the superstar center with a three-game suspension confirmed on November 6, 2024.
It was NBA Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars who announced the news, adding that no matter what the circumstances in the situation, interaction must remain professional on both sides and can never turn physical.
“While we understand Joel was offended by the personal nature of the original version of the reporter’s column. Mutual respect is paramount to the relationship between players and media in the NBA,” said Dumars.
Last November 3, 2024, Embiid was the talk of the town in the NBA after he got into an altercation with Hayes in the locker room area of the team.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Embiid shoved Hayes when they met, where reporters started to fill the venue for post-game interviews.
It was determined that Embiid took note of what Hayes wrote about him in his column, including his effort to stay in shape in a single NBA season while questioning his professionalism.
However, what drove Embiid into a frenzy was his article mentioning his son and late brother. Hayes reportedly offered his apologies but the star center couldn’t be contained.
With already five games into the 2024-2025 season, Embiid is yet to play for the 76ers, but the management disclosed that he will still be sidelined due to left knee injury management.
Philadelphia already needs Embiid back into the lineup as they suffered one of their worst starts in the past five years with a disappointing 1-4 win-loss record.
Aside from Embiid, Paul George, the team’s newly acquired star, is also absent in all five games and is raring to reinforce the squad when his knee reaches 100 %.
“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,” Embiid said to Hayes.
Yikes, consequences. Here we go, Mr. Embiid.
