Joel Embiid receiving a three-game suspension for physically attacking NBA columnist Marcus Hayes has been the hottest topic of debate for the basketball community. Stephen A. Smith also commented on this discussion, giving his two cents on the scuffle that broke out at the Philadelphia 76ers’ training facility.
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The ESPN analyst began the segment by explaining the situation. Immediately after, he denounced both the individuals involved for their avoidable actions. Smith was disgusted at Hayes for bringing up Embiid’s dead brother and four-year-old son in a harshly worded article attacking the 2023 MVP’s lack of conditioning. Whereas, JoJo was wrong for resorting to violence as a method of confrontation.
“Marcus Hayes was wrong now that doesn’t absolve Embiid… Embiid was wrong too! You don’t put your hands on anybody. You don’t engage in physical violence, you just don’t do that,” Smith said.
Despite believing that involving Embiid’s family was unnecessary, SAS agreed with the intentions behind Hayes’ critical article. Embiid has constantly been injured throughout his career, not being available for his team when it mattered the most. Instead of getting some much-needed rest he also put his body through more jeopardy by participating in the 2024 Olympics.
“Marcus Hayes has every right to say what he said about Embiid questioning his conditioning, questioning why the hell would you go and play for Team USA… That’s an additional couple of months that you could have been home getting yourself ready for this upcoming season. What you don’t do however is bring up his brother who’s deceased due to a car accident,” Smith said.
Smith keeps going back and forth trying to understand the altercation from both parties’ perspectives. While he mentioned that the seven-time All-Star had every right to be furious, this incident could’ve been handled differently.
Stephen A. Smith’s final verdict on the Joel Embiid suspension
Joel Embiid’s three-game suspension is warranted and so is Stephen A. Smith’s belief. There are numerous journalists who are equally as disrespectful when criticizing players. Skip Bayless is one of the most prominent examples, always bashing LeBron James for activities on and beyond the court. However, if a player went about physically harming every member of the media that took hurtful shots at them, the NBA would have more than just a litany of suspensions to hand out weekly.
This incident also doesn’t portray The Philadelphia Inquirer in good light following the actions of one of their most experienced writers. And instead of laying out any sort of restrictions for Hayes or disciplining him, the media house has allowed him to continue to cover the Pennsylvania-based franchise.
This experience is bound to negatively impact the relationship between players and the media members. Players might not be as comfortable sharing information or providing vital sound bites, especially during training. It’s due to interactions like this that players have resorted to player podcasts to control their own narratives
As for the Sixers, they have already had a forgettable 1-5 start to the campaign. Their star player’s suspension can result in at least two more losses – the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers. In case the Milwaukee Bucks manage to win their upcoming clash against the Utah Jazz, a back-to-back loss in LA could witness Nick Nurse’s boys tumble down to the last spot in the conference standings.
