Joel Embiid sounds off after details of Sixers' team meeting emerge: 'Whoever leaked that is a real piece of [expletive]'

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Joel Embiid sounded off after details from the 76ers’ lengthy team meeting Monday night — including that teammate Tyrese Maxey called out the 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player for tardiness — surfaced through multiple reports citing anonymous sources, saying “whoever leaked that is a real piece of [expletive].”

“We talked about a lot of things [during the meeting],” Embiid said Wednesday after the Sixers’ 117-111 loss to the Grizzlies. “I don’t want to get into the details, but that whole thing [with Maxey] probably took 30 seconds. But then again, it’s Joel Embiid, so we’ve got to make everything blown out of proportion.

“It’s whatever. I’ll take it all. I’m the reason for everything, so I’ll take the blame for everything.”

Embiid’s answer was triggered by a question about why his relationship with Maxey — which has developed into a well-known close friendship during their four-plus seasons as teammates — is strong enough to have those difficult, candid conversations.

For Wednesday’s game in Memphis, Embiid and Maxey were situated in the same corner of the visitors’ locker room, and spent the bulk of the postgame period open to the media chatting with no noticeable tension. Even in the immediate aftermath of Monday’s meeting, which followed the Sixers’ loss at the Miami Heat, Embiid walked over to Maxey for a quick talk during the period when reporters were present.

“That’s the relationship we have — nothing malicious,” Embiid said. “I like when people are telling me what I’m not doing good, what I need to do better. Even though that part [the tardiness] maybe happened once or twice, when I wasn’t playing. …

“So I need to be better. I need to be perfect. I need to be on point, which I’m going to do. Which I’ve always done.”

It was the second time in recent weeks that Embiid publicly expressed his displeasure about coverage of him or the Sixers, who on Wednesday dropped to 2-12 during a dreadful start to a season that opened with championship aspirations.

After not holding a media session for more than a month while dealing with a knee condition stemming from meniscus surgery last February, Embiid said “I’ve done way too much for this [expletive] city” in firing back at outside criticism for missing the start of the season. Following a Nov. 2 game home game against the Grizzlies, Embiid shoved a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist during a locker-room altercation, which resulted in a three-game suspension by the NBA.

“It’s kind of annoying having to deal with the same things over and over and over,” Embiid said Wednesday. “It’s been like that my whole career. All I try to do is focus on basketball, and trying to make the best living for my family, on and off the court.

“But it’s unbelievable. It just feels like negativity keeps following us, which I don’t understand why. But it is a shame, but it doesn’t change the fact that we’ve still all got to be better.”

Embiid’s comments Wednesday occurred after his best game of the season, as he finished with 35 points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes. It was supposed to be the Sixers’ first game that their three All-Stars — Embiid, Maxey, and newcomer Paul George — played together, but George left early in the third quarter after hyperextending his left knee.

“We talked about a bunch of stuff [in the meeting],” Embiid said. “At times, we executed what we talked about, and at times, we didn’t. Right now, we don’t have a lot of margin for error, so we need to be perfect in everything we do on both ends of the floor.”