Joel Embiid has been a subject of critique throughout his entire NBA career due to his injury history and playoff doldrums. The Philadelphia 76ers star got into a physical altercation with a reporter who wrote a slanderous article about him and, as a result, will serve a three-game suspension.

“Mutual respect is paramount to the relationship between players and media in the NBA,” Joe Dumars, NBA executive vice president of basketball operations, said in a statement. “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.”

The former MVP reacted to an article where Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes called Embiid’s commitment to the game into question and referenced his son and late brother. “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,” he told Hayes during their brush-up. “I’m going to have to … live with the consequences.” No punches were thrown, but the 30-year-old hooper did shove Hayes.

Joel Embiid’s suspension will force him to miss Wednesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers (Nov. 6), Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers (Nov. 8) and Sunday’s matchup with the Charlotte Hornets (Nov. 10). The seven-time All-Star has yet to play this season due to injury, and will make his 2024-2025 regular season debut on Tuesday (Nov. 12) against the New York Knicks.

The Philadelphia 76ers currently sit at 1-5 due to Paul George also missing games over an injury. They will look to right the ship and try to overcome their consistent playoff disappointments at full power, but health is a regular concern for both Embiid and George.

A week before the regular season began, the Cameroonian center told ESPN that he would probably never play back-to-back games again. The Sixers are typically a high-seeded team in the Eastern Conference but often fail due to Embiid either being unavailable or playing when he isn’t 100% healthy. Time will tell if this new strategy works out for them.

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