LeBron James pushed back Tuesday night after a report suggested he had taken Joel Embiid to task for arriving late to practice.
The claim surfaced during Monday night’s preseason game between the Knicks and the Sixers at Xfinity Mobile Arena, when Knicks announcer Mike Breen said James had let Embiid “hear it” after the Philadelphia star showed up a couple of minutes late.
“Somebody told me before the game that they were out ready to practice, and Joel Embiid walked out on the court a couple minutes late and LeBron let him hear it,” Breen said.
James answered on his Instagram story Tuesday night and flatly denied it.
“He ain't been late so stop the lies,” James wrote.
The story comes as James, Embiid and All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey were all healthy inactives Monday in Philadelphia’s preseason opener against the Knicks. James had already made his first appearance in front of Sixers fans the previous weekend at the team’s Blue x White scrimmage.
Training camp has also brought early praise for the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe said last week that James was the first person in the locker room at the team’s training facility in Camden, New Jersey.
“He was in there before everybody as usual,” Edgecombe said. “He dapped me up like, 'Yo, what up, what up?' Like we know each other for a minute.”
James joined the Sixers in the offseason for his 24th NBA season, a move that helped make them a title contender after the blockbuster with the Boston Celtics that landed Jaylen Brown.
At Sixers media day, James made clear what he’s there to do.
“I didn't leave my family to lose in the second round,” James said.
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