The Philadelphia 76ers will have to wait a little longer for Joel Embiid to play in his first game this season. On Tuesday afternoon, the NBA announced that Embiid received a 3-game suspension following an incident in the locker room on Saturday night where he shoved a member of the media. It is believed that Embiid shoved Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who recently published a column criticizing Embiid over not playing this season that referenced his son and late brother, which upset the former NBA MVP.
“Mutual respect is paramount to the relationship between players and media in the NBA,” Joe Dumars, the NBA’s Executive Vice President, Head 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.”
Embiid criticized Hayes earlier in the week during a media availability, but he was not in attendance. In its statement, the league announced that Embiid — who has been working his way back from a knee issue — will not start serving his suspension until he is eligible and healthy enough to play.
The Sixers have gotten off to a slow start this season without Embiid, as the team is 1-5. Their high-profile offseason addition, Paul George, only just made his regular season debut on Monday night against the Phoenix Suns after getting hurt in the preseason.