Mike Breen apologises after LeBron James denies Embiid story

Mike Breen has apologised for repeating a story that Joel Embiid arrived late to practice and was called out by LeBron James. James denied the incident happened after Breen shared the anecdote during Monday’s preseason opener between the Sixers and the New York Knicks.

Breen, New York’s longtime play-by-play announcer, said on the MSG broadcast that someone had told him about the alleged exchange before the game. The account drew attention beyond the preseason broadcast, prompting a response from James on Instagram.

James disputes practice account

“Somebody told me before the game that they were out ready to practice, and Joel Embiid walked out on the court a couple of minutes late, and LeBron let him hear it,” Breen said on air. James rejected that account, saying Embiid “ain’t been late so stop the lies.”

The dispute put Embiid’s conduct at the centre of a story that James publicly disputed. Breen later told ESPN that the information had come from someone he trusts, but said he accepted James’ denial.

“I don’t know why the person who told me the story would make it up, but if LeBron says it never happened then I believe him and apologize for putting it out there,” Breen said.

Breen regrets naming Embiid

Breen also acknowledged that he had misjudged how much attention the anecdote would attract because it concerned Embiid. He said naming the player had seemed unimportant to him when he spoke during the game.

“For me, the fact that the teammate was Joel was meaningless. In hindsight, I should have realized the fact that it was Joel is what made it a story,” Breen said. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Joel and feel awful that it put the focus on him the way that it did.”

Breen’s apology followed James’ public denial.

Sixers enter the season under scrutiny

The exchange came during a preseason game after a summer in which the 76ers traded for Jaylen Brown and signed James. Those two moves have already drawn attention to how the team’s new starting lineup will work together, both on and off the court.

Breen’s apology and James’ denial may bring this particular story to a close. With the season still ahead, the focus returns to the Sixers and how their reshaped roster performs.