"Gross twisting of words" - NBA fans call out Bleacher Report's clickbait claims of Joel Embiid's 76ers locker room drama
The Philadelphia 76ers team meeting, during which Tyrese Maxey called Joel Embiid out for being habitually late to team activities, has been a major talking point in the NBA community. The franchise has been under the microscope, with the 76ers struggling to find consistency this season and sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference.
On Thursday, Bleacher Report posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, alleging that while venting his frustrations over the player's only meeting being leaked, Embiid said it only lasted 30 seconds. NBA fans were quick to point out that wasn't the case.
HoopsReference, which is a page for the YouTube channel of the same name, which has over 200,000 subscribers, called out Bleacher Report for the misleading quote:
"How is Bleacher Report allowed to get away with butchering a quote this poorly on a platform as big as theirs? He did not say the whole meeting "only lasted 30 seconds" that's just a gross twisting of words for the sake of slandering someone who is easy to slander for the sake of impressions"
Others were quick to join in, criticizing Bleacher Report for the quote:
"Embiid hate gets a lot of clicks unfortunately, most hated superstar in the league by far, it makes me sick how no one appreciates him and everytime there’s a post about him it’s nothing but slander smh" - One wrote.
"Bleacher report blows lmao they lost there credibility and now they have to add clickbait for views" - Another fan added.
"Media hates him we all know it" - A fan opined.
Others added their thoughts as well:
"Probably thought it was 30 seconds cause he was late" - One joked
"The Sixers are a mess right now. They were a hot preseason pick to go to the Finals and they might not even make the playoffs." - Another added
What did Joel Embiid actually say about Philadelphia 76ers player's only meeting?
After reports indicating that the Philadelphia 76ers had a player meeting to discuss the slow start to the season, Joel Embiid spoke candidly about them.
Following Wednesday's 111-117 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, which extended Philly's record to 2-12, Embiid spoke with reporters. As Tony Jones of The Athletic reported, Embiid discussed the situation, including the reports that Tyrese Maxey called him out for being late.
While discussing the player's only meeting, Joel Embiid said that the discussion about him being late lasted no more than 40 seconds.
“Whoever leaked that is a real piece of s---," Embiid said. "We talked about a lot of things. I don’t want to get into detail. But that whole thing, that part of it, took probably 40 seconds."
"But it’s Joel Embiid, so things will always get blown out of proportion. It’s whatever, though. I’ll take it. I’m the reason for everything, so I guess I’ll take the blame for everything."
Joel Embiid went on to say that he needs to improve and be more on point. Only time will tell whether the team can turn things around between now and the end of the year.