Joel Embiid is already dealing with some wild drama, straight up shutting down a report from broadcaster Mike Breen that claimed he’s been late to practice, with LeBron James supposedly checking him. This whole thing blew up after a preseason loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, and Embiid didn’t hold back, saying the report “never happened.”
The Talk, The Denial, And The Backup Crew
So, what went down? Broadcaster Mike Breen, for real, said on air that Embiid had been late to practice and that teammate LeBron James had been the one to call him out. Talk about some wild claims to drop early in the season, right? That set off alarms for some, but James was quick to jump on Instagram to squelch the whole thing. And Coach Nick Nurse didn’t waste any time, either, going to bat for his guy. The Sixers have a supremely talented roster, with names like Embiid, James, Jaylen Brown, and Tyrese Maxey, so outside noise is just part of the game. But this one hit different, getting shot down almost immediately by the guys involved.
Embiid’s Fury: “Why Me?”
Embiid himself finally spoke out after they took a preseason L to the Nets. “Yeah, it sucked, but what can you do?” he said, clearly frustrated. “It’s unfortunate. I don’t know where, I’m sure you can check, I don’t know where that came from. It’s never happened.” Dude pulled no punches there. He then got real about the whole thing, asking, “Why me?” He explained, “One, I had a question that I had. I was like, ‘Why me?’ Those type of things. I can’t understand. One, it’s not true, but then again, it’s like, ‘Why me?’” He feels like it’s “something new for Embiid to deal with,” even though Breen did apologize, saying he believes James. Embiid sees it for what it is. “But then again, I guess I’m Joel Embiid. I’ve been in that situation. I don’t normally talk when it comes to that stuff, so it feels like I’m an easy target.” It’s straight up unfair for a guy to feel like he’s just a target, especially when he’s trying to keep his head down. Embiid knows the drill, having dealt with criticism about his weight and conduct throughout his career.
This whole mess is exactly what the Sixers need to avoid. Embiid himself said, “There’s gonna be a lot of outside noise to kind of pull us apart from what we’re supposed to be and what we’re supposed to accomplish. So, it’s important that we stay together and we keep our head down.” This squad has gotta block out the noise and focus on what they’re building. Their preseason grind continues Saturday against the Boston Celtics. It’s another chance for the team to gel and show they’re all on the same page, distractions be damned.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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