Charles Barkley tore into Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid Thursday night as the NBA reportedly launched an investigation into his participation in games.
Embiid did not play in the preseason over concerns about his knee and did not play in the team’s first game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey, told ESPN earlier this month he would try to keep Embiid and Paul George out of playing most of the second nights of back-to-backs.
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Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, #21, poses for a photo on media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex in Camden, New Jersey, on Sept. 30, 2024. (Bill Streicher-Imagn Images)
The entirety of the situation around Embiid appeared to have sparked the investigation, ESPN reported.
Barkley sounded off on Embiid during NBA coverage on TNT.
“Man, I don’t have any idea what the Sixers are doing. I don’t think it’s fair,” Barkley said. “And I want to get this number right, and this is crazy and bless the kid, No. 1; he just singed for three years, $193 million. Three years, $193 million – to play basketball. We’re not steel workers, we’re not nurses.
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Charles Barkley looks on before the game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers as part of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament on Dec. 7, 2023 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Mike Kirschbaum/NBAE via Getty Images)
“Like people who got like real jobs who have to work 40-50 hours a week. We’re playing basketball, at the most, four days a week. Most of the time, three days a week. He has the best backup in the league in (Andre Drummond). If he would’ve said, ‘I’m going to play 25 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back or Drummond plays.’
“But to come out and say it in advance was stupidity by the Sixers, period.”
Injuries plagued Embiid the entirety of his NBA career. He also revealed his Bell’s palsy diagnosis during the playoff series against the New York Knicks last season.
United States center Joel Embiid, #11, celebrates with the gold medal after the game against France in the men’s basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena in Paris on Aug. 10, 2024. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
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However, he did play at the Paris Olympics for Team USA and was a key part in the team’s gold medal run.
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