76ers' Joel Embiid issues explicit, fiery response to critics of his 'load management' after scathing column

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The Philadelphia 76ers are being careful with their biggest star, which has rubbed some people the wrong way.

Embiid has yet to play in this young season, his first after signing a three-year, $193 million contract extension, and there has been controversy surrounding his health and availability.

Embiid and the Sixers have been open about his "load management," both saying it would be unlikely Embiid would play both ends of games on back-to-back nights to preserve his health.

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Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Wells Fargo Center April 2, 2024, in Philadelphia. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

A Philadelphia Inquirer column this week about the controversy was headlined, "Sixers plan to sit Joel Embiid early and often. They should give fans refunds for games without him." The writer, Marcus Hayes, called Embiid "Mr. 46 Percent" since he's played in 46% of regular season games since being drafted in 2014. Hayes also described the arrangement as "fraud."

But when he's been on the floor, Embiid's been one of the most dominant forces in the league. He could have won back-to-back MVPs had he stayed healthy last season.

Embiid was asked Friday about how he felt about his usage, and he took it as an opportunity to respond to his critics.

"It was never decided. Like I said, everybody has been on the same page. If your body doesn’t react well and your body tells you one thing, I’ve done it," Embiid said. 

"From what I can tell you, I’ve broken my face twice. I came back early with the risk of losing my vision. I had broken