A chilling incident occurred in the 76ers’ locker room after their loss to the Grizzlies. Joel Embiid pushed Philadelphia Inquirer’s Marcus Hayes due to the mention of his late brother and son in an uneventful context in one of his columns. The event has become a major talking point around the league, with the NBA also launching an investigation. Hayes has the backing of his team, with the senior Vice President claiming, “physical assault is unwarranted and untenable and we are taking this matter very seriously,”. 

So who is on Embiid’s side? The Cameroonian-born center has been at odds with Hayes over the past week. During a press conference, he openly called him saying, stating “Like that dude, he’s not here, Marcus, I’ve done way too much for this f***ing city to be treated like this,”. The mention of his family deepened his understandable frustrations. Yet, the 76ers’ GM didn’t side with Embiid.

According to a recent statement by Hayes, he claimed both Morey and Elton Brand “expressed regret that it happened, and asked me for my version of events… They agreed that Embiid’s actions were unacceptable,”. So far, Joel Embiid hasn’t released any comments about the incident. However, some media members have commented.

Notably, Brian Windhorst and the Hoops Collecitve crew were against Embiid’s actions, claiming there is no place for physical altercation with media members. Their take is the NBA will impose a suspension on the perennial MVP candidate for his violent conduct, but it’s unclear how long he will have to serve the same.

Philadelphia fans irate with Morey for not siding with Joel Embiid

If there is one thing about the Philly sports fans, it’s that they are passionate. No matter the actions, they will stand for their athlete. In this case, Embiid had the grounds to be frustrated, yet his reaction was questionable. Still, they expected him to have the support of Daryl Morey and the franchise. Once they didn’t, the bubble burst.

“Embiid should ask for a trade if they’re taking the reporter side over his the reporter talked about his family he should’ve got punched out,” a fan wrote. Considering the analogy used, it’s fathomable why Joel Embiid was on the edge the whole time. Furthermore, he also has a history with Hayes, claiming “That’s not the f—ing first time” during their heated exchange.

Fans’ resentment for Morey continued. The felt in a time that Embiid needs support, the 76ers’ general manager went to the other side expressing and deeming Embiid’s actions as “unacceptable”. “Embiids actions were very acceptable. Don’t speak on family and dead people you. Shame on Morey and Brand if this true that they apologized,” another fan conveyed.

Morey has come under fire for multiple reasons over the past few seasons. Notably, James Harden, who spent time with Morey since he was on the Houston Rockets publicly criticized for not meeting the promised ends of a contract extension. He famously claimed he will “never” play for a team that the veteran GM is part of.

Fans’ heat is understandable. Joel Embiid has been a beacon for the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s shown up when battered and bruised because the team needed him and fully embraced the city as his own. Hence, they may have wanted Daryl Morey and Brand to reciprocate the same sentiments during such sensitive times.

Yet, some also understood that their actions could be directed to prevent Joel Embiid from getting a severe punishment. “Soft, should stand with your player on something like this but I guess they didn’t want him to take any action against Embiid,” a follower suspected.

However, even with that in mind, the outrage of Philadelphia fans didn’t stop. They felt Daryl Morey could have shown some support to Joel Embiid considering the burden he not only has been through with injuries but also the trauma that was sparked due to Hayes’ column. In that regard a fan wrote “Maybe apologize for it going that far but don’t apologize for Joel being “wrong”, cuz he wasn’t, these reporters think they have some kind of immunity to say whatever they want to these athletes like they aren’t people too,”.

With the investigation still ongoing, it’s hard to project whether Embiid will be subject to any punishment. Additionally, if he does, the nature of the penalty also remains unknown. Who do you think is in the right here Joel Embiid or Marcus Hayes? Let us know your honest thoughts about the situation in the comments below.