Joel Embiid Shoves Philadelphia Inquirer Writer Who Alluded to Family in Column

The 76ers center took issue with Marcus Hayes's crude, critical commentary.

Joel Embiid. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid shoved a columnist from The Philadelphia Inquirer over a recent critical column that referenced the 2023 MVP's late brother and son, according to a Saturday night report from Shams Charania of ESPN.

The columnist, Marcus Hayes, criticized Embiid's frequent absences from games in a recent piece—referencing the seven-time All-Star's late brother Arthur and four-year-old son in doing so.

"Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son, Arthur, as the major inflection point in his career. He often says that he wants to be great to leave a legacy for the boy named after his little brother," Hayes wrote, crudely connecting this to Embiid's struggles to stay healthy in recent years.

Per Charania, Embiid responded to this by shoving Hayes. Keith Pompey, another Inquirer reporter, initially suggested that Embiid shoved Hayes but deleted his tweet.

The 76ers—who have struggled to a 1-4 start out of the gate—lost 124–107 to the Memphis Grizzlies Saturday.

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