The NBA has suspended Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid three games for shoving a columnist in the locker room Saturday following Philadelphia’s 124-107 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, NBA Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced Tuesday.
Embiid had taken issue with a critical piece Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes wrote about Embiid in October that mentioned Embiid’s 4-year-old son and late brother. The 76ers star confronted Hayes about the column Saturday. According to multiple reports, after a tense verbal exchange, Embiid shoved Hayes.
In the NBA’s release about the suspension, Dumars said the following about the situation:
Mutual respect is paramount to the relationship between players and media in the NBA.