The NBA suspended Joel Embiid three games without pay for shoving a media member, the league announced Tuesday.
The incident occurred in the 76ers locker room. Philadelphia after Saturday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
“Mutual respect is paramount to the relationship between players and media in the NBA,” NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations Joe Dumars said in a statement.
“While we understand that Joel was offended by the personal nature of the reporter’s original version of the column, interactions must remain professional on both sides and can never become physical.”
Embiid will begin serving his ban on Wednesday when the 76ers face the Los Angeles Clippers, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania. He will return on November 12 for the club’s first NBA Cup game against the New York Knicks.
The former MVP is yet to get back on his feet as he continues to rehab a left knee injury.
Embiid took issue with a recent article by a Philadelphia columnist that questioned his availability and conditioning while referencing his son and late brother, who died in a car accident in 2014.
The 76ers were fined $100,000 last week for making public statements that were inconsistent with Embiid’s health status and in violation of the league’s player engagement policy.
