NBA legend Charles Barkley had some strong words for whoever leaked the Philadelphia 76ers’ team meeting to the press last week.
ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported last week that young All-Star Tyrese Maxey called out Joel Embiid during the closed-door meeting, specifically for being late for team activities. The meeting occurred after the 76ers blew a 19-point lead to the Miami Heat and lost 106-89.
Embiid, who will miss his 13th game of the season Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets, was furious that the private meeting was leaked.
“Whoever leaked that is a real piece of s***,” Embiid said, via The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Gina Mizell.
“We talked about a lot of things [during the meeting]. 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.”
Charles Barkley calls out source who leaked Philadelphia 76ers’ closed-door meeting
During “Inside the NBA” on Tuesday night, Barkley made his feelings known about the 76ers’ leaked meeting.
“Whoever leaked that to the press needs to be punched in the face. In the team meeting, those are sacred. You can’t tell out secrets of a team meeting,” the NBA Hall of Famer and TNT analyst said. “When you’re in those meetings, they’re very personal, especially when you call out a guy like that. That should have never gotten to the press.”
"You cannot be late all the time… Joel [Embiid] needs to own that"
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 27, 2024
Chuck weighs in on the drama in Philadelphia 👀 pic.twitter.com/xLadcnh4TN
Barkley didn’t stop there, offering additional criticism of Embiid.
“You cannot be late all the time. That’s disrespectful to your teammates and your coaches and everybody. Joel has to own that,” noted Barkley.
Heading into Wednesday night’s game, the 76ers are struggling with a 3-13 record this season. The team’s Big 3 of Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey have played together for only six minutes this season. George will miss his ninth game of the year with a hyperextended left knee, and Maxey has sat out six games due to a hamstring injury.