NBA analyst slams ‘ridiculous’ Joel Embiid story that provoked 76ers star to get into an altercation with columnist

Joel Embiid made many headlines for an altercation with a member of the media after the Philadelphia 76ers-Memphis Grizzlies game on Saturday. Sam Vecenie from the Athletic stepped forward and expressed his opinion on the columnist and the story that led to the altercation.

Vecenie made a post on X, where he uploaded a screenshot containing the excerpts from the story that caused Embiid's reaction. He slammed the columnist for bringing in a family member of an athlete to criticize his on-court performance.

"Man, look. If you write this, you gotta be accountable to the player. This isn't talking about what Joel Embiid is doing on the court. This is ridiculous."

"Is it worth getting physical with the dude? IDK, I want way more details on how this whole thing escalated."

The 76ers had a rough night at home at the Wells Fargo Center. The visitors dominated them in the entire game and picked up a road victory with a final score of 124-107.

Embiid did not play because of a knee injury, but was on the sidelines. In addition to Embiid's absence, Paul George was sidelined from the game because of a knee injury. Tyrese Maxey led the scoring charts for the home side with 23 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists.

What happened between Joel Embiid and the columnist?

After the 76ers-Grizzlies game, the 2023 MVP Joel Embiid was involved in an altercation with a columnist. NBA Insider Shams Charania reported the situation via a post on his X account. Charania clarified that Embiid had shoved the columnist and no punches were thrown.

"76ers’ Joel Embiid got in an altercation with a columnist following tonight’s game in Philadelphia. Embiid took issue with a recent column that referenced his late brother and son, and Embiid shoved the columnist. No punch."

The 76ers big man took issue with a story that the columnist has written. The writer addressed the young son and deceased brother of the 76ers star and used them as references to criticize Embiid for his conditioning.

The 76ers have played already played five games this season and Embiid has yet to make his debut. So far, the NBA has not commented on the altercation involving the big man, however, the league is widely expected to take some action in due course.