Joel Embiid Denies LeBron James Practice Spat Rumor, Calls Himself an ‘Easy Target

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid dismissed rumors of a practice dispute with teammate LeBron James, calling the reports not true and describing himself as an easy target.

Joel Embiid Denies Practice Spat With LeBron James

The rumor surfaced during the Philadelphia 76ers preseason opener against the New York Knicks on Monday. Veteran play-by-play broadcaster Mike Breen, calling the game on MSG Networks, told viewers he heard an anecdote about James reprimanding Embiid for walking out onto the court a couple of minutes late for practice. “It’s not true. I don’t know where that came from.”

Embiid expressed frustration over how quickly the unverified story spread across media platforms. The center suggested that his past visibility makes him a frequent subject of fabricated drama. “Those type of things, I can’t understand. One, it is not true, but then again, it’s like, ‘Why me?’ I guess I’m Joel Embiid. I’ve been in that situation. I don’t usually talk when it comes to those rumors. So, it feels like I’m an easy target,” Embiid explained. Following the Sixers’ preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets, Embiid also noted, It sucks, but what can you do? It’s unfortunate. … I think we just got to focus on ourselves. There’s going to be a lot of outside noise to pull us apart from what we’re supposed to be and what we’re supposed to accomplish. So, it’s important that we stay together and we keep our [head] down. … But yeah, as long as we know who we are [we will be OK] and we just got to stick together.

LeBron James and Nick Nurse Push Back Against the Rumors

Embiid was not the only member of the organization to forcefully reject the narrative. LeBron James took to social media immediately following the broadcast to address the claim, writing “stop the lies” on his Instagram Story and confirming that Embiid had not been late for any team workouts.

Confronted with the pushback from the team, broadcaster Mike Breen issued a public apology through media channels. Breen stated that he received the account from someone he trusted and only intended to share it as a positive anecdote highlighting James’ leadership impact on his new squad. The commentator explained, he had understood the episode merely as an example of James’ positive influence on his new team and had not expected it to turn into a debate concerning Embiid. I don’t know why the person who told me the story would make it up, but if LeBron says it never happened then I believe him and apologize for putting it out there, Breen said.

Preseason Debuts and Team Chemistry in Philadelphia

The controversy cleared just as the star duo made their on-court preseason debuts together for the 76ers in Thursday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. Embiid logged nearly 24 minutes of action, finishing the night with six points, three rebounds, three assists, and eight turnovers. James played 18 minutes, scoring 10 points while converting all eight of his free-throw attempts alongside five assists and four rebounds.

With the initial noise effectively quieted by direct denials from both players and the coaching staff, the organization turns its attention to finishing the exhibition schedule. The Philadelphia 76ers have two preseason games remaining before opening the 2026-27 NBA regular season against the defending champion New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 20.