Joel Embiid assaults reporter in locker room following Sixers loss, per report

One of the early season storylines in the NBA has been the health of Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid. He has not been a fan of what’s being said about him, especially in the media. Now, frustrations have boiled over and reportedly gone way too far.

Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer says Embiid assaulted a reporter in the locker room following the team’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. No other information was provided but Pompey also tweeted Embiid shoved the reporter.

“Oh, boy, people will remember the Sixers season for all the wrong reasons,” Pomey said via X. “The team just dropped to 1-4 and Joel Embiid assaulted a reporter in the locker room.”

ESPN’s Shams Charania added some context, saying the push came from Embiid due to a recent column written by a local media member. References to family members were included, causing Embiid to act as he did.

And there was a previous tweet from Pompey saying Embiid had punched a reporter but quickly deleted, changing to shove. Charania confirmed that as well, saying it was nothing more than a shove.

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

Philadelphia lost to Memphis on Saturday night, 124-107, dropping their record to 1-4 to start the season. Embiid did not play and has yet to make an appearance this season while having a knee injury. Questions have certainly been there about his constant injuries and inability to play, leading to him having a fiesty quote on Friday.

“When I see people saying, he doesn’t want to play, I’ve done way too much for this city putting myself at risk for people to be saying that,” Embiid said. “I do think it’s bullshit. Like that dude, he’s not here, Marcus, I’ve done way too much for this fucking city to be treated like this.”