Joel Embiid remains silent after Sixers team meeting details emerge

MEMPHIS — Joel Embiid sounded off on details of the 76ers’ lengthy team meeting Monday night — including that teammate Tyrese Maxey named the 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player for tardiness – emerged in multiple reports quoting anonymous sources saying “whoever leaked that is a real piece of (expletive).”

“We talked about a lot of things (during the meeting),” Embiid said after the Sixers’ speech. Wednesday loss to the Grizzlies. “I don’t want to go into the details, but that whole thing (with Maxey) probably lasted 30 seconds. But then again, it’s Joel Embiid, so we have to let everything be blown out of proportion.

“It’s whatever. I’ll take it all. I am the reason for everything, so I will take the blame for everything.”

Embiid’s response was prompted by a question about why his relationship with Maxey — which has developed into a famously close friendship during their four-plus seasons as teammates — is strong enough to have those difficult, candid conversations.

Before Wednesday’s game in Memphis, Embiid and Maxey were in the same corner of the visitors’ locker room and spent most of the postgame period open to the media chatting with no noticeable tension. Even in the immediate aftermath of Monday’s meeting, which followed the Sixers’ loss to the Miami Heat, Embiid walked up to Maxey for a brief conversation during the time reporters were present.

“That’s the relationship we have – nothing malicious,” Embiid said. “I like it when people tell me what I’m not doing right, what I should do better. Even though that part (the slowness) happened maybe once or twice when I wasn’t playing. …

“So I have to be better. I have to be perfect. I have to be sharp, and I’m going to do that. What I’ve always done.”

It was the second time in recent weeks that Embiid has publicly expressed his displeasure with coverage of him or the Sixers, who fell to 2-12 on Wednesday during a terrible start to a season that opened with championship aspirations.

After not holding a media session for over a month due to a knee condition arising from meniscus surgery last FebruaryEmbiid said, “I’ve done way too much for this (expletive) city” and fired back at outside criticism for missing the start of the season. He also mentioned Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes by name for a piece that mentioned his late brother and son, both named Arthur, in such criticism. After a November 2 home game against the Grizzlies, Embiid shoved Hayes during a locker room altercation, which resulted in a three-match suspension by the NBA.

“It’s kind of annoying to have to deal with the same things over and over again,” Embiid said Wednesday. “It’s been that way my entire career. All I’m trying to do is focus on basketball and trying to make the best living for my family, both on and off the court.

“But it’s incredible. It just feels like negativity keeps following us, which I don’t understand why. But it’s unfortunate, but it doesn’t change the fact that we all still need to get better.”

Embiid’s comments on Wednesday came after his best game of the season, in which he finished with 35 points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes. It would have been the Sixers’ first game with their three All-Stars — Embiid, Maxey and newcomer Paul George — playing together, but George left early in the third quarter afterward. his left knee hyperextended.

“We talked about a lot of things (during the meeting),” Embiid said. “Sometimes we followed through on what we talked about, and sometimes we didn’t. Right now we don’t have a lot of room for error, so we have to be perfect in everything we do on both ends of the floor.”