NBA should thank not fine former Jayhawk Joel Embiid
By Stan Unruh
Kansas basketball fans who follow Joel Embiid know he has a great sense of humor. Should the NBA fine him for off color comments toward a player on Instagram?
Maybe the NBA doesn’t like former Kansas basketball sensation Joel Embiid? I was disappointed a week ago, when the league overlooked Embiid for the NBA Rookie of the Year award.
This week, the NBA fined Embiid for writing what the league called inappropriate language on a personal social media account. Embed wrote something nasty at the father of “future NBA Hall of Famer,” current summer league rookie Lonzo Ball. Colin Ward-Henninger of CBS explains the feud between the two.
We know Embiid uses social media to say nice things too. As a matter of fact, after missing out on the Rookie of the Year honor last week, the 7-foot Phenom from Cameron congratulated Milwaukee’s Malcolm Brogdon. It was nice, polite and appropriate use of Twitter.
The President of the United States frequently uses his twitter account to criticize others. However, he doesn’t use what some might call “locker room” words. At least not on social media.
Embiid, according to the NBA social media “mother-hall monitor” did. I didn’t know the NBA provided players with a list of the seven deadly words players should not use on social media. Since Embiid technically works for the professional basketball league, they have the right to censor his social media comments. It is not the government prohibiting his right to free speech. There is a significant difference.
Joel Embiid has been fined, presumably for "F— LaVar Ball" comment. pic.twitter.com/wGQuQ4eFdP
— Jeremy Woo (@JeremyWoo) July 8, 2017
More from Through the Phog
- Kansas basketball: Esteemed recruit Jalil Bethea to announce college decision tomorrow
- Kansas football: Lassiter brothers exchange good-natured banter on social media
- Kansas basketball: Liam McNeeley cuts list to two, includes Jayhawks and Indiana
- Kansas football: Reviewing Jayhawks PFF grades, snap counts from win over Nevada
- Kansas football: JB Brown emerging as star for Jayhawks defense
The NBA should thank Embiid. It’s the middle of July and the NBA is getting a lot of attention over this twitter battle. It will only get more interesting when the regular season begins and Embiid’s 76ers play the Lakers. I don’t watch much NBA but this might be a fun time to tune in and see what happens.