"Don't ever put my dead brother's name in your mouth" - Joel Embiid allegedly issues warning to columnist before shoving him in locker room

On Saturday night, Joel Embiid reportedly warned Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes before shoving him inside the Sixers locker room. Embiid made headlines after Philly's 124-107 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies due to an alleged altercation with Hayes, who allegedly brought up the former MVP's dead brother and son in a piece on Friday.

Speaking to PHLY Sixers Postgame, PHLY reporter Kyle Neubeck explained what happened inside the team's locker room before the incident. Reportedly, Embiid and Hayes were having a back-and-forth before the Sixers superstar threatened and shoved the reporter.

"Marcus was present in the locker room, and the second that Joel realized he was there, (they) got into a verbal back and forth," Neubeck said. "Obviously, we can't repeat many of the words that were said on the show. The gist of it was basically, 'You can say I suck, you can say whatever you want about me as a player. Don't ever put my dead brother's name in your mouth, don't talk about my family, don't bring them into this.'"

The PHLY reporter added:

"'You want to talk to me like a man and talk to me about basketball, that's different. But if you ever talk about my family again, we're going to have real problems.' They go kind of back and forth, and at some point, let's say 90 seconds to two minutes into this back and forth, Joel shoves him. Team security step in, players kind of surround the situation and everyone kind of dispersed."

Joel Embiid has not played for the Philadelphia 76ers this season due to an alleged injury in his left knee. Embiid has drawn the ire of Sixers fans, as well as former NBA players who are not happy to see him rest despite seemingly being healthy. The league even fined Philly for "inconsistent remarks" about Embiid's status.

It led to Marcus Hayes calling out the Sixers' best player for not living up to his contract and what he said about his son Arthur, who was named after his older brother, who passed away in 2014.

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NBA investigating Joel Embiid incident with columnist

NBA investigating Joel Embiid incident with columnist. (Photo: IMAGN)

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the NBA has opened an investigation into the locker room incident between Joel Embiid and Marcus Hayes. The league will try to look into what happened and see if there is a need to reprimand either party involved.

Embiid was not happy when Hayes wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer that he was disrespecting the Sixers by not playing. The columnist even argued that the team should give fans are refund every time the former MVP doesn't play even if he's healthy.

Embiid has been plagued by injuries for the majority of his career. He had left knee trouble last season, but was able to play for Team USA this past summer at the 2024 Paris Olympics.