LeBron shoots down criticism of Embiid.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers spoke to the media after the game against the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 6 (ET) to discuss his social media posts.
Joel Embiid’s injury and subsequent absence has been rattling around the NBA for some time, ignited when news of Embiid’s absence broke just before tipoff of Philadelphia’s Jan. 28 game against Denver.
The game was a highly anticipated matchup between two of the league’s best centers, Embiid and Nikola Jokic. The rivalry had the NBA office scheduling the matchup during Rivalry Week, 토토사이트 and it was scheduled to be televised nationally in the United States.
Embiid had been injured in the previous game against Indiana, but there were no signs of him being out until the Denver game. Since he was available, many fans were excited to see him face off against Jokic. However, just before the game, there were concerns about his condition in training and he was abruptly pulled from the game.
Denver head coach Mike Malone strongly criticized Embiid’s absence, calling for an investigation by the league office. The NBA investigated and fined Philadelphia $75,000 for violating the Injury Reporting Rule by suddenly removing a player from a game when he was available.
Embiid, of course, was at the center of the criticism, as was the Philadelphia organization, which handled the situation less than smoothly. His other absence last year, against Denver, led to speculation that Embiid was avoiding playing Jokic in a tricky environment. There were plenty of parodies, and it was a topic that was covered quite a bit in local media.
After missing one more game, Embiid returned on January 31 against Golden State. But when he returned, it was clear that he wasn’t at his best. It was clear that the team’s struggles were forcing him to play. Weighing heavily throughout the game, Embiid had his worst game of the season, committing eight turnovers and failing to reach the 20-point plateau for the first time this season.
To make matters worse, Embiid left the court with an injury in the fourth quarter. After an unfortunate collision with an opposing player, his already shaky lower body suffered a meniscus injury. He went back on the operating table to repair the area that he underwent surgery on seven years ago.
That’s when NBA veteran LeBron James spoke out. It was a jab at the negativity that has been directed at Embiid. Some of the criticism has crossed the line, and LeBron is not happy about it.
“Where are all the TV personalities, all the media, all the attention-seekers who talked so much about him being out when they knew what Joel Embiid was dealing with?” he wrote in a lengthy social media post on Wednesday.
“No one is apologizing on TV or on their stupid podcasts when Embiid is seriously injured. No one is being held accountable,” he continued.
When asked about it three days later, LeBron didn’t change his mind: “I gave my opinion on the whole situation and how I felt about it was genuine,” he said.
The injury puts the MVP frontrunner out of the race entirely. He won’t meet the 65-game requirement. There’s a chance he could return before the playoffs, but that remains to be seen.