Famed broadcaster Mike Breen is retracting a claim he made about LeBron James allegedly criticizing Joel Embiid, after James labeled the story as “lies.”
Breen expressed his disappointment over the misinterpretation, stating to ESPN, “The whole intent was praising LeBron for already having an impact on the team’s professionalism and accountability, even regarding something so benign as a player being a minute or two late for practice.”
During a preseason game between the Knicks and the Sixers on MSG Networks, Breen mentioned he had heard that James had scolded Embiid for arriving late to practice.
“Somebody told me before the game that they were out ready to practice, and Joel Embiid walked onto the court a couple of minutes late, and LeBron let him know about it,” Breen stated.
The next day, James addressed the rumor on Instagram, saying, “He ain’t been late so stop the lies.”
Breen elaborated that he intended to highlight LeBron’s leadership qualities already evident in Philadelphia. He noted, “For me, the fact that the teammate was Joel was meaningless. In hindsight, I should have realized that it was Joel that made it a story. I’ve always been a huge fan of Joel and feel awful that it brought focus on him in that way.”
He added, “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 bringing it up.”
This isn’t the first instance where Embiid has faced scrutiny for his punctuality. Two years back, when the 76ers struggled with a 2-11 start, reports surfaced suggesting that his teammates were calling him out for being late “for everything” during that period.
