Joel Embiid is not happy with the leak of details from the Philadelphia 76ers team meeting following Monday’s loss.
In a press conference after Wednesday’s defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies, Embiid expressed his anger, saying, “Whoever leaked that is a real piece of s-t.”
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The meeting had been called by veteran Kyle Lowry after the team dropped to a 2-11 record, and during it, Tyrese Maxey called out Embiid for being late “for everything.”
Embiid responds to the criticism
Embiid, visibly frustrated, explained that although many things were discussed in the meeting, Maxey’s critique probably only lasted about 30 seconds.
“We talked about a lot of things [during the meeting,” Embiid said.
“I don’t want to get into the details, but that whole thing [with Maxey] probably took 30 seconds.
But then again, it’s Joel Embiid, so we’ve got to make everything blown out of proportion.” Despite his frustration, Embiid took responsibility for his actions, adding, “It’s whatever. I’ll take it all. I’m the reason for everything, so I’ll take the blame for everything.”
Despite the criticism, Embiid and Maxey maintain their friendship
The relationship between Embiid, 30, and Maxey, 24, is known to be positive, based on mutual accountability. According to a source close to the team, “Tyrese loves Big Fella, but this is the elephant in the room.”
Despite Maxey’s criticism, Embiid made it clear that there are no personal tensions and that he values honesty within the team: “I like when people are telling me what I’m not doing good, what I need to do better,” Embiid said, referring specifically to his tardiness on a few occasions.
The leak of this internal meeting highlights the growing frustration within the 76ers, who have had a rough start to the season with a 2-11 record.
In addition to player tensions, the situation is complicated by injuries, like Paul George’s recent hyperextended knee, and the challenge of adjusting to new head coach Nick Nurse’s style.
With the team still struggling to find consistency, Embiid insisted that he needs to be better: “I need to be perfect. I need to be on point, which I’m going to do. Which I’ve always done.”
The 76ers now face the difficult task of overcoming their internal issues and improving their performance in Friday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets.
