On Saturday, after the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 124-107, star center Joel Embiid shoved Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Marcus Hayes after a locker room altercation. The two were quickly separated before Embiid left the building, but the incident is already under investigation by the NBA.
For now, there’s no easy way to predict what sort of discipline Embiid might face. There simply isn’t precedent to fall back on. Players and reporters certainly argue, but such disputes do not have a history of turning physical. So as the league sifts through the fallout of the confrontation between Embiid and Hayes, let’s go through what happened, what we know, and what we can expect from here.
What led to the confrontation between Embiid and Hayes?
Before the 2024-25 season began, Embiid told ESPN that he was likely done playing back-to-backs.