NEW YORK – Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid was suspended by the NBA for three games without pay on Tuesday for shoving a member of the media.

Embiid's suspension will begin the next regular season game for which he is eligible and able to play. The 2023 NBA MVP has yet to play this season due to what the 76ers are calling left knee management.

The Sixers begin a road trip in Los Angeles against the Clippers on Wednesday night.

Embiid yelled at and eventually pushed a newspaper columnist during a locker room altercation Saturday night.

“Mutual respect is paramount to the relationship between players and media in the NBA,” league executive Joe Dumars said in a statement announcing the suspension. “While we understand that Joel was offended by the personal nature of the reporter's original version of the column and interactions, he must remain professional on both sides and never become physical.”

Embiid disagreed with Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes, who mentioned the seven-time All-Star's late brother and his son – both named Arthur – in columns and questioned Embiid's professionalism and dedication after competing in the Olympics were out of shape to play in Paris.

When reporters entered the locker room to talk to players after the 124-107 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, the two-time NBA scoring leader stood up and confronted Hayes.

“The next time you bring up my dead brother and my son again, you'll see what I'm going to do to you, and I'm going to have to… live with the consequences,” Embiid told Hayes.

Embiid continued, with several instances of profanity appearing in the next few sentences. Hayes apologized, but Embiid didn't want to. “This isn’t the first time,” Embiid said.

Embiid later said he doesn't care what reporters say. “But you do,” Hayes replied.

Embiid seemed to get louder at that point and soon squeezed Hayes on the shoulder while the team's public relations director stepped between them. Another PR person moved Tyrese Maxey's interview to the hallway outside the locker room to deny reporters access.

Embiid was the No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft, but missed his first two full seasons due to injuries. Since his first full season in 2016, he has played in 433 of a possible 805 regular season games and just 59 of a possible 67 playoff games.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA