PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Joel Embiid is mad at Philadelphia sports fans and the media, again.
Less than 24 hours after the Inquirer's Keith Pompey reported that Ben Simmons wants out of Philadelphia, Embiid is strongly pushing back against a USA Today opinion article about an escalation of the supposed rift between the two All-Stars.
Responding to a tweet from @TheNBACentral, which quoted NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt's USA Today column, he denied it, saying, "Stop using my name to push people's agendas."
Embiid wrote, "I love playing with Ben. Stats don't lie. He’s an amazing player and we all didn’t get the job done. It’s on me personally. I hope everyone is back cuz we know we’re good enough to win."
Related
In a subsequent tweet, Embiid took a jab at the media, accusing them of making stuff up to gain followers.
Then, he rehashed an old spat from a couple of years ago when some Philadelphia sports fans booed him, and he retweeted a 2020 clip from SportsRadio 94WIP in which a caller says "Get this bum out of this city. He’s worthless," and host Joe Giglio likens Embiid to a baby who pouts when he doesn't get his way.
Embiid then propped himself up by saying criticism makes him stronger, "but not everyone is built like that."
It's not at all clear how Simmons' saga with the Sixers will play out. And it's not clear why Embiid is dragging up stories of his past beefs with fans and journalists. What is clear is he does not like to see his name associated with Simmons' reasons for wanting to leave the team.