All 76ers

After Exchange, Joel Embiid and Nic Claxton Tell Their Story

Joel Embiid and Nic Claxton received double-techs on Wednesday night. After the game, both players offered their sides of the story.
Justin Grasso|
After Exchange, Joel Embiid and Nic Claxton Tell Their Story
After Exchange, Joel Embiid and Nic Claxton Tell Their Story

In this story:

Philadelphia 76ersBrooklyn Nets

While a packed South Philly crowd couldn’t wait for Brooklyn Nets veteran Ben Simmons to get switched onto Philadelphia 76ers’ star Ben Simmons on Wednesday night, the interest quickly shifted from the Embiid-Simmons battle and to the individual matchup between Embiid and Nic Claxton.

Going into Wednesday’s game, Claxton was offered bulletin board material from Sixers’ backup big man, Montrezl Harrell. Entering the game with more fuel, Claxton got up for his matchup against Embiid. 

And at a point during the first half, the two bigs engaged in a verbal exchange, which resulted in double-technical fouls for Embiid and Claxton.

After the game, Claxton recalled the moment.

“I blocked his shot, and he was upset there was no foul call,” said the Nets center. “I said something to him, he told me to repeat it, and I repeated it. He walked up on me — I don’t know how I got a tech when I said one thing, and I’m just sitting there standing. He walks up on me, I get a tech, but I take it.”

Not long after Claxton dishes out his recollection of the events, Joel Embiid told a slightly different story during his postgame press conference. 

“He said something he shouldn’t have,” Embiid recalled. “That’s why when I walked up to his face, I told him to say it to my face again. That’s why he looked away, and he didn’t say it again because he knows why. You know, there’s not a lot of times where I get in those situations, but I’m not going to allow any sort of disrespect. That’s why he couldn’t say it to my face again.”

With a win and the game in the rearview, Embiid didn’t seem too bothered by the exchange. Neither did Claxton, who admitted with a smile that he was just having a good time on the court.

It’s a double-tech. It’s just having some fun,” Claxton finished. “That’s all it really is.”

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

Published
Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

Share on XFollow @JGrasso_
Home/News