Embiid unleashed: 'I was pissed' over D.C. sit-out

PHILADELPHIA -- It's almost as if the Sixers just can't have nice things. Even after a good win.

Friday against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves, the struggle was real, especially in the first half where sloppiness ruled, shooting was abysmal and the first 24 minutes couldn't end quickly enough. 

The Sixers turned it around in the second half and grinded out an important 115-103 victory, helping their cause to stay as the sixth seed in the East and avoid having to participate in the Play-In Tournament.

Fully healthy and able to institute what may be their playoff rotation, the Sixers got balanced scoring, terrific defense inside and out and pulled out a key victory over a Western Conference team that is in the similar position as them, one trying to improve their playoff seeding.

Paul George continued his solid play since coming back from suspension, as he collected 23 points, six rebounds and six assists and spearheaded a defense that limited Minnesota to 33 percent shooting from the floor. Tyreese Maxey scored 17 of his 21 points in the third quarter when the Sixers dumped 42 on the T'Wolves. Kelly Oubre, Jr. came off the bench for 30 minutes and threw down 21 points, with the help of a 16-point fourth quarter in which he shot 6-of-7 from the floor, including three threes.

And then there was Joel Embiid, who missed Wednesday's game against the Washington Wizards due to illness. He started the first half 1-for-10 from the floor and seemed to be more than a half-step slow. He was doubled over at his knees many times, didn't make it down the floor on a few occasions, and seemed lethargic throughout the first two quarters. 

He rebounded like only he can, and finished the game with 19 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks. He was a monster at rim protection, forcing many seemingly open drives to end in kickout passes. 

He talked after the game about how the team is coming together now that they are getting towards full health, about the importance of George, his time on the floor with Andre Drummond and many of the intricacies of the game and season moving forward. 

And then he was asked about what happened on Wednesday, when he was ruled out on the NBA Injury report in the morning. 

When a reporter tweeted that he was listed as out, Embiid replied saying it was an April Fool's joke, and then later tweeted "I guess they won't let me play basketball."

He didn't play. And this was his explanation as to why.

"I was pissed off. I wanted to play basketball. I wasn't allowed to play basketball. I think this is more of a question for Daryl Morey."

— Joel Embiid on not playing on Wednesday.

(via @PHLY_Sixers)

pic.twitter.com/aIRzO1DZ9k

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 4, 2026

"I was pissed off," he said when asked for his explanation as to what happened. "I want to play basketball. I wasn't allowed to play basketball. So I think that's a question that (president of basketball operations) Daryl Morey and whoever makes the decisions (has to answer). 

"Going into Miami (on Monday) I was pretty sick. But knowing how important the game was I still wanted to go out there and give us a chance, to go out there and try to do something because of how important the game was. Same thing (on Wednesday). I felt a little bit better when we went into Washington, definitely much better than I felt against Miami. Woke up, didn't (go to) sleep until about five in the morning or six, so with that, I couldn't make it to shootaround. And then after that I found out online that I wasn't playing that night. That kind of caught me off-guard. That pissed me off."

Embiid continued, "But then again, I guess they make the decisions. It doesn't matter what I think or not, I just got to follow it. To answer your question, that's more of a question for Daryl and them. I don't know what's going on, I just want to play basketball."

It certainly isn't the time for this. It brings into question what exactly is going on with Embiid around the team. It was a year ago that Maxey called out Embiid for constantly being late and the negative effect it has on the team. Embiid praised his teammate for calling him out on it. But there are rumblings that things haven't changed all that much when it comes to Embiid. 

Wednesday, a source said, the team was on the bus getting ready to go to shootaround but there was no Embiid. When they found out that he slept through the time to get on the bus, the shootaround was then cancelled and a film session was called instead. He was then listed as out that night and that didn't change.

And now come his comments.

There is a ton of talent on this basketball team, from a refreshed George to Maxey to rookie VJ Edgecombe and, of course, Embiid, among others. While the focus has been injuries being the biggest derailment, Embiid is now showing his displeasure in management. 

And, obviously, it's most likely vice versa. And this isn't something that won't affect play on the court. When there's discourse, it hits at every level. A simple miscommunication on the floor can be exasperated due to other frustrations. Tempers grow shorter. Frustrations get higher. 

After a much needed win, teammates praised teammates, as did Embiid. But while his two minutes of complaining about what went down on Wednesday won't take away the important win, it will certainly deflate it a bit. And we only know about this instance, for now. Is there more to it? Maybe. Maybe not. It's just not needed now for this team.