Joel Embiid has included his son, Arthur, in many of the biggest moments of his NBA career, including the postgame press conference after Sunday’s Game 4 home loss to the New York Knicks.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ star took the podium after the sweep and fielded questions about another difficult, injury-riddled season and disappointing playoff loss, all while the boy sat with him. Given Philly’s uninspired performance and the rumors of discontentment flooding out of the organization after the loss, some in the media argued Embiid intentionally brought his son with him to avoid run-ins with reporters.
Later Monday on FS1’s First Things First, host Nick Wright went a step further, making the case that athletes should be restricted from bringing their children to these press conferences after losses.
“Bringing children to press conferences after losses should not be allowed,” he said.
“And I think Joel Embiid is obviously a great family man and an awesome dad … it is, whether intentional or not, the ultimate effect is your kid is shielding you from what could tough or uncomfortable questions. That is the point of those press conferences.”
Nick Wright: “Bringing children to press conferences after losses should not be allowed” pic.twitter.com/jXzb0RzY07
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Wright noted that he supports the NBA’s tilt toward positivity around fatherhood and family compared with the regressive ideas of masculinity that athletes or media sometimes peddle. However, he said that other recent examples of stars like Steph Curry or Jayson Tatum’s children appearing with them often came in victory.
“I’m not picking on Embiid because he’s not the only guy to do it, and I do like NBA guys after in the ’90s it was the opposite … I really like how the modern NBA star has really embraced [being a family man],” he said.
“But I don’t think, after season-ending losses, when you’re talking about your future with a team, that you should have your kid on your lap. Just, I know I’ll get ripped for it, but I know I’m right.”
By placing a child between themselves and the media, star athletes bring a different energy to what are often tense interactions. There’s nothing wrong with that inherently, but it can get in the way of a player devoting the proper clarity to addressing the fanbase at the end of a season. Many times, this is the only opportunity that teams provide for reporters to talk with players.
These news conferences typically last a maximum of 15 minutes, which feels like a reasonable amount of time for a star to press pause on family time and seriously consider the questions they are asked before relaxing into the long offseason.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.