Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James blasts media members for questioning Joel Embiid's injury status

LeBron James seemingly woke up and chose violence on this Friday morning.

The Los Angeles Lakers star sent out a series of tweets to call out analysts and podcasters who questioned the veracity of Joel Embiid's knee injury, which forced the Sixers center to miss a handful of games earlier in the season. Upon his return to the court against the Warriors on Tuesday, Embiid ended up suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee, an unfortunate event that effectively ended his hopes of meeting the 65-game quota and thereby repeating as MVP.

To James' point, the NBA had earlier conducted an investigation into the Sixers' reporting on Embiid's injury status, fining the franchise for Embiid sitting out the marquee match-up against Nikola Jokic last weekend. Thereafter, several media analysts and fans floated the theory of Embiid ducking his Nuggets rival -- pointing to the fact that he hadn't played a game in Denver since 2019. 

Earlier, Draymond Green voiced similar concerns about Embiid "forcing himself to play" just to remain in contention for the MVP award. Furthermore, a report from Sam Amick of The Athletic suggested that Embiid was "battered and bruised before February even arrived" and he essentially forced himself to play in games just to change the media narrative surrounding him. 

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Three takeaways as Panthers eliminate Rangers, advance to Stanley Cup Final
Corey Heim dominates at Gateway for fourth Truck Series win of 2024 season
Mets honor Darryl Strawberry in fitting fashion during number retirement ceremony
Phillies ace leaves game after taking 106 mph comebacker to hand
Real Madrid defeats Borussia Dortmund 2-0 to win Champions League
Marvin Lewis opens up about about return to NFL coaching
Celtics HC shares Kristaps Porzingis update ahead of NBA Finals
Jalen Brunson claps back at tiredness narrative after Knicks' playoff exit
Red Sox lose yet another player to injury
Former NFL GM has huge praise for Packers QB Jordan Love
Drake Maye reportedly being treated as Patriots' QB3
Veteran 1B rejects outright assignment, elects free agency
Giannis Antetokounmpo to play for Greece in Olympic qualifier
Padres lose two top pitchers to injured list on same day
Fever announce remarkable attendance milestone in fifth 2024 home game
Senators reportedly undecided on qualifying defenseman
Lamar Jackson's curious offseason decision costing him significant money
Blue Jays two-time All-Star pitcher lands on IL for second time this season
Lakers set to benefit from Pelicans’ NBA Draft decision
One rookie quarterback is showing 'elite downfield accuracy' during OTAs

Want more NBA news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.