NBA Superstar Joel Embiid Under Fire for Aggressive Treatment of Young Female Referee
NBA superstar Joel Embiid took things a little bit too far last night when he became very aggressive towards a female referee and he's now facing backlash.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has struggled to regain MVP form from two seasons ago with injuries blighting his campaign.
In the recent game against the San Antonio Spurs, Joel Embiid boiled over in his frustration during what was just his eighth appearance this season for the 9-17 76ers.
After being assessed a technical foul, Embiid lost it completely, railing at referee Jenna Schroeder and chasing her around the court. His outburst got him ejected as teammates had to physically restrain him.
Jenna Schroeder has been an active referee for five years and is one of six female referees this season.
She, like most referees, gets more criticism than is fair. The technical on Embiid was a bit much, but his over-the-top reaction was inexcusable.
There was poor officiating all around in the game itself, including an earlier wrongful ejection of Andre Drummond that was overturned via challenge.
It never ceases to amaze how the falling standards of refereeing in the NBA go unaddressed, even as the league dishes out punishment with great strictness for public criticism.
Embiid, who has been hampered with injuries, played only 14 minutes, scoring nine points on the back of 2-8 shooting, accompanied by three rebounds.
Season averages of 22.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists on 42.9 percent shooting still paint a disappointing campaign thus far for the franchise star.
While officiating frustrations are understandable, Embiid's reaction was unnecessary and placed his own reputation and team dynamic in jeopardy. Leading an underdog team riddled with injuries, he must be more constructive with his feelings.
The NBA also has to respond to the continuing questions surrounding its officiating to avoid repeats of such conduct.
| POLL | ||
DÉCEMBRE 26 | 125 ANSWERS NBA Superstar Joel Embiid Under Fire for Aggressive Treatment of Young Female Referee Do you believe Joel Embiid purposely acted that way because it was a female referee? | ||
| Yes | 101 | 80.8 % |
| No | 24 | 19.2 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Christian Dvorak | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brendan Gallagher | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jason Robertson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matt Duchene | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Adam Fox | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Matej Blumel | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mavrik Bourque | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Will Cuylle | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Wyatt Johnston | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Marco Kasper | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Chris Kreider | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alexis Lafrenière | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Patrik Laine | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Zack Ostapchuk | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Juraj Slafkovsky | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nick Suzuki | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Tomas Tatar | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mika Zibanejad | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Artem Zub | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mike Amadio | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Capitals | 46 | 31 | 10 | 5 | 67 | |
Jets | 47 | 31 | 13 | 3 | 65 | |
Oilers | 46 | 29 | 14 | 3 | 61 | |
Golden Knights | 46 | 29 | 14 | 3 | 61 | |
Maple Leafs | 47 | 29 | 16 | 2 | 60 | |
Stars | 46 | 29 | 16 | 1 | 59 | |
Wild | 46 | 27 | 15 | 4 | 58 | |
Devils | 49 | 26 | 17 | 6 | 58 | |
Hurricanes | 46 | 27 | 16 | 3 | 57 | |
Avalanche | 47 | 28 | 18 | 1 | 57 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||