Though the 2024 summer was filled with excitement for the Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid, who was finally handed the superstar he sought in Paul George, the start of the 2024-25 season has been far from ideal for them. Not only has the franchise lost four of its five games to begin the new campaign, but the 2023 MVP is yet to make his debut. Moreover, when Philly lost their most recent game against the Memphis Grizzlies by 17 points, the headlines were acquired by 'JoJo' furiously shoving columnist Marcus Hayes.
Recently, fellow NBA reporter Kyle Neuback opened up about the events that led to the 7-foot center's heated altercation with the columnist.
What triggered Embiid to shove Hayes?
For several seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers fans have blindly trusted Embiid to lead them deep into the playoffs. Yet Embiid has repeatedly failed to be healthy, either at the business end of the regular season or postseason. With frustration rising, Hayes, who writes for the Philadelphia Inquirer, fired shots at the seven-time All-Star by referencing his late family members in a way that Embiid found highly disrespectful.
For Joel, who lost his younger brother Arthur during his first NBA season in a tragic car accident, the loss has been unbearable. Because of that incident with his brother, the 76ers star named his son Arthur; the absence of his younger brother has been a far greater loss than Embiid has ever been able to describe.
According to Neuback, Marcus's use of this personal loss in his piece struck a painful chord with Embiid. Consequently, the Sixers' big men wasted no time in giving Hayes a stern warning.
"The second that Joel realized he (Marcus) was there, got into a verbal back-and-forth...90 seconds to two minutes into this back-and-forth, Joel shoves him," Neubeck said. "You can say I suck, you can say whatever you want about me as a player. Don't ever put my dead brother's name in your mouth. Don't ever talk about my family. Want to me as a man? Talk to me about basketball, but if you ever talk about my family, we'll have real problems."
Joel Embiid will face such vile comments even more
While Embiid is likely focused on getting back on the court as soon as possible to help the 76ers rebound, Hayes' vile actions reflect the growing impatience within the Philly basketball community concerning Embiid's status, especially given the team's rocky start.
However, the only positive thing Embiid fans could take from this incident is that it would have only fueled his fire to showcase why he is the best center in today's NBA. But when will that time come? Remains to be seen.
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