Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has fallen far from the MVP heights he reached just two seasons ago. As he continues to struggle with injuries this season, Embiid was on the court for his eighth game against the San Antonio Spurs for the 9-17 76ers.
After receiving a technical foul, he would ruin Philly’s chances by having a meltdown at official Jenna Schroeder (#20). Embiid’s aggressive reaction where he was berating the referee and following her around the court led to the rightful decision to toss the center out, which led to the 76ers having to restrain the center physically.
Oh my god the same ref who ejected Andre Drummond just ejected Joel Embiid
What is going onhttps://t.co/AikafPi1WN https://t.co/Uqkl3hl8Bw
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) December 24, 2024
Jenna Schroeder is one of the six women registered as referees this season. She’s been a mainstay at games over the last five seasons, but her officiating tendencies are just as criticized as almost anyone else. Her technical on Embiid might be rightfully debated, but there’s no justification for Embiid’s completely over-the-top reaction.
The officials were doing a bad job in this game anyway, literally ejecting Andre Drummond earlier and then having to bring him back from the locker room because a successful challenge overturned the decision. Standards of refereeing are dropping quickly and nobody is really saying anything about it due to the NBA’s heavy-handed fines for anyone who criticizes officials.
Embiid will likely have an explosive statement of his own for the press which will lead to a massive fine. While it’s okay for him to express his frustration at soft calls, the way he reacted to being T’d up was completely unnecessary. You’re a franchise star who is rarely healthy for a team that looks like it won’t make the Playoffs, why would you endanger yourself by trying to intimidate a referee?
Embiid played just 14 minutes tonight, putting up nine points (2-8 FG) and three rebounds as he got off to a slow start in a marquee matchup with Victor Wembanyama. His injuries have led to a pretty average season for the big man, putting up 22.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists on a disappointing 42.9 FG% as a center.
Maybe the frustrations of the season caught up with Embiid, who would have lost it at any referee in that situation regardless of gender. As a superstar, he should know better, but this game has not been officiated well at all.
The NBA needs to address how to better improve the quality of refereeing to avoid such incidents.
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