At least for the time being, the controversy over longtime NBA media member Bill Simmons attacking Houston Rockets rookie Jalen Green with profane remarks isn’t going away.
Days after Golden State star Draymond Green wondered why Simmons has a vote for NBA awards, which can be tied to some contract bonuses, Philadelphia star Joel Embiid shared a similar sentiment Tuesday.
In his first media availability since reportedly finishing second in 2021-22 Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting, Embiid — who is currently playing in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs — referenced the controversy involving Simmons and Houston’s young star.
Here’s a portion of Embiid’s comments, with video available below:
The only thing I’ll say about these awards… I go back to what I heard on a podcast. Bill Simmons basically saying, it sounded like he had a grudge against somebody, saying ‘F Jalen Green.’ If you’re going to allow these types of people to vote on these awards, that’s not fair.
What if Jalen Green was in a position to earn a supermax (contract), or I don’t know, an All-Star appearance? You’ve got someone sounding like that and has a lot of power. He can sway a lot of other media members and you’ve got someone saying that type of stuff. I don’t think it’s fair, I don’t think it’s okay.
The context of Simmons’ original remarks was whether Green or another rookie (such as New Orleans’ Herb Jones) deserves a spot on the 2021-22 All-Rookie First Team. Those results should become public in the coming days. For now, Green can take comfort in seeing many prominent names in the 2022 NBA playoffs coming to his defense.
Joel Embiid congratulates Nikola Jokic for winning MVP but says “I don’t know what I need to do to win it,” and makes the point that media people like “@BillSimmons who say ‘f- Jalen Green’ shouldn’t be part of the awards process.
Here’s some of video of you can hear. pic.twitter.com/xdXgykKoVp
— Five Reasons Sports (@5ReasonsSports) May 11, 2022
Here's Embiid's full quote on the MVP decision, voters on the award, and focusing on the bigger picture: pic.twitter.com/1H14Rc30qm
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) May 11, 2022
