A dangerous scene unfolded last night as Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid angrily and repeatedly lunged at a female NBA referee. The incident took place after he was called for a foul during a play involving San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.
Embiid was called for a charge on Wembanyama late in the second quarter and clearly didn’t agree with referee Jenna Schroeder. He immediately ran over to her to make his case.
Now, normally, Schroeder has to deal with large athletes on any given night and is not intimidated. But the image of Embiid growing increasingly irate as he leans down into her face as a means to intimidate her is a bit alarming.
The 7-time NBA All-Star had to be held back by teammates. And he wasn’t through. After Schroeder ejected him, Embiid again ran toward her direction. And he was clearly intent on getting in her face once again, at the very least.
Teammates and coaches again had to try and keep the 7 ft., 280 lb. man from going after her while the announcers called the altercation “Mickey Mouse” and “unbelievable.”
Joel Embiid has been ejected for the second time in his career. pic.twitter.com/4ziLzv7S3V
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 24, 2024
Joel Embiid Gets Physical Toward Ref
Following the game, crew chief Curtis Blair downplayed the incident and told reporters there was “incidental contact” between Joel Embiid and Schroeder.
Still, Blair added, “There was nothing that warranted any further punishment.”
Um, wrong. This should earn the 76ers star a suspension, regardless of whether or not contact was incidental. The fact of the matter is that Embiid never has a chance to touch the referee at all if he never runs at her in the first place.
Embiid’s was actually the second ejection of the game by Schroeder, though the first was rescinded when she realized following a review that she was mistaken.
Embiid’s teammate Andre Drummond was called for a second technical foul after appearing to shove Wembanyama down to the floor. It was later determined that the two players had their feet tangled up, prompting Schroeder to admit her mistake.
“I […] up!” she told Sixers coaches. “[Wembanyama] gets a technical and I’m sorry about that.”
Wembanyama’s technical for the flop was also overturned based on the incidental contact.
It was a rough night for Embiid and Schroeder. The 76ers went on to win, 111-106.
RELATED: 76ers Center Joel Embiid Suspended 3 Games By NBA After Shoving Reporter
Suspended For Shoving A Reporter
Actually, it’s been a rough season for Joel Embiid in general. He was wearing that nightmare-fuel mask because of a fractured sinus he suffered a couple of games ago. He was heavily criticized for taking his time by sitting with knee soreness earlier in the year.
In fact, reporter Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer drew the ire of Embiid after inartfully criticizing his injury issues by referencing Embiid’s son and late brother.
The former NBA MVP ended up shoving Hayes after the reporter tried to apologize and explain himself. Embiid would be suspended for three games over the incident.
It seems very likely that if teammates had not intervened in this case, Embiid would have shoved Schroeder as well. The league needs to intervene before the 76ers star’s anger issues result in somebody getting hurt.
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