Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has been suspended for three games without pay due to an incident involving Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes. The NBA announced the suspension on Tuesday, following Embiid’s actions after the team’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.

The confrontation arose after Hayes published a column questioning Embiid’s professionalism and fitness, referencing personal details about Embiid’s son and late brother, both named Arthur. Embiid reacted to the column with frustration, leading to a heated exchange that ended with him shoving Hayes.

“Mutual respect is paramount to the relationship between players and media in the NBA,” said Joe Dumars, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations. He emphasized that while Embiid may have felt offended by the article, all interactions must remain professional and should never escalate to physical confrontation.

Currently, Embiid has not played this season due to ongoing issues with his left knee, which required surgery last year. He has been accompanying the team on their West Coast road trip, which began with a narrow 118-116 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday. This game marked the debut of new player Paul George with the franchise.

The suspension will cost Embiid approximately $1,063,778 in pay. It will begin when he is deemed ready to return to the court. The 76ers are set to face the LA Clippers on Wednesday at the new Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, but as of Tuesday afternoon, the team’s injury report had not been updated. If Embiid is cleared to play for the Clippers, he will still miss the subsequent games against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Charlotte Hornets.

If the suspension starts Friday, Embiid’s first game back could be on Wednesday against the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers in Philadelphia.