Philadelphia 76ers players Joel Embiid and Amir Johnson were roundly criticized on Saturday after cameras caught them checking text messages on the bench during the team’s Game 1 playoff loss to Brooklyn. According to Embiid, however, there was a good reason for it.
Embiid said that Johnson’s daughter is very sick, and he happened to be checking his texts for an update when cameras caught them in the act.
Joel Embiid on cell phone incident on bench with Sixers teammate Amir Johnson during Game 1 loss to Nets: "I looked down because he said his daughter was extremely sick and he was checking on his daughter." pic.twitter.com/hK1lnzbapj
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 13, 2019
Coach Brett Brown had previously called the incident “completely unacceptable.”
Brett Brown learned of Amir Johnson having his cell phone out during Game 1 while walking to the media room. "First, it's completely unacceptable. Second, we will deal with it internally."
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) April 13, 2019
The Sixers will try to deal with this internally, but having a phone on the bench, even for a legitimate reason, would be a violation of NBA rules. Even if Embiid is telling the truth, it’s unlikely to fly with his coach or the league.
