Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid is reportedly angry that someone leaked the team meeting story to ESPN’s Shams Charania, following Monday night’s 106-89 loss to the Heat in Miami.
Philadelphia 76ers Rumors: Sixers team meeting report irked Joel Embiid, Paul George amid 2-12 start
According to a league figure who is close to Embiid, the source informed NBA insider Marc Stein that “Joel is going to be furious” and that Embiid is “going to try and find the Sixers’ supposed snitch.”
After the 76ers dropped to 2-12 with a 117-111 loss at Memphis on Wednesday, Embiid did in fact mention the topic to reporters, stating, “Whoever leaked that is a real piece of s—t.”
“But even then, we talked about a lot of things. I don’t want to get into the details, but that whole thing probably took 30 seconds,” Embiid added.
Among other things, Embiid took accountability for being late and told media that he plans to improve:
“I need to be better. I need to be perfect, I need to be on point, which I’m going to do,” Embiid said
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) November 21, 2024
Sixers executives took that report as public messaging intended for private relationships. Paul George also expressed his disappointment in the meeting leak from an unnamed source.
“[The leak] kind of negates everything that we had in that meeting as far as trusting in one another. [We] put everything out there so that these conversations [can occur without] it being taken from a bad place,” George explained during Thursday’s episode of Podcast P. “So, it was kind of f—ked up that got leaked.”
Tyrese Maxey called out Embiid for tardiness
During the 76ers’ team meeting, Tyrese Maxey challenged Embiid to be on time to team activities, calling out the seven-time All-Sar about being late “for everything,” sources told Charania. The preciseness of the report raised George’s red flags.
“I don’t know how the hell Shams got that story or how that even leaked, especially it being like — some of it being like kinda word-for-word,” George said. “Or not necessarily word-for-word but quoted. That was the crazy part about it.”
George was then asked about who specifically was in the room for the Monday check-in. The California native did not notice anyone from outside of the team present for the meeting.
“The people that was in that room is the people that were supposed to be in that room,” he said. “It’s the people that go out and we’re in the trenches with on a nightly basis. That’s who was in that room.”
The 76ers’ superstar trio of Embiid, George, and Maxey have yet to play a full game together. George suffered a hyperextended left knee early in the second half of Wednesday night’s loss at Memphis. He exited after just 17 minutes played.
Philadelphia hosts the Brooklyn Nets on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
