WATCH: Charles Barkley and Shaq cry about Joel Embiid and the 76ers’ Load Management Plan on Inside the NBA
It didn’t take long for Joel Embiid to catch heat this season. The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t even played a single game yet and Embiid is getting shredded by basketball fans, players, and hell, even the NBA itself. He’s also getting it from Inside the NBA legends and known Engagement Farmers, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal.
Embiid’s preseason declaration that he won’t be playing in both legs of the Sixers’ back-to-back games this season sent Barkley and Shaq into a frenzy on the season’s first episode of this season’s show, with both Hall of Famers coming down hard on the reigning MVP’s approach.
“I was so disappointed in Joel Embiid saying he wasn’t going to play back-to-back games,” Charles Barkley said, adding that a player of Embiid’s caliber “cannot say as a leader of that team, ‘I’m not going to play certain games.’ That’s not the way to start the season.”
Meanwhile, Shaq dismissed Embiid’s logic altogether, saying, “The league isn’t that physical for him to say that… there’s no reason to say ‘I’m not playing back-to-back.'”
Charles Barkley and Shaq on Joel Embiid, 76ers’ Load Management
But here’s the thing: both Barkley and Shaq’s criticisms feel outdated, out-of-touch, and in some instances just completely false. It’s easy to sit on the TNT set and call out Embiid for “sending a bad message” when you’re not the one lugging around a 7-foot, 280-pound frame with a history of knee injuries.
The reality is that Embiid is making a smart, long-term decision that could very well determine whether the Sixers are still playing in May and June. Barkley and Shaq’s takes don’t seem to grasp that load management isn’t about weakness—it’s about survival in today’s game.
For Embiid, this isn’t just a matter of “toughing it out.”
This is a player who missed 43 games last season due to knee issues, then limped through the playoffs while dealing with a torn meniscus. Add in a sudden bout of Bell’s palsy during the Knicks series, and it’s clear that Embiid’s body took a brutal toll just trying to keep the Sixers afloat.
Now, to preserve his health and extend his prime, Embiid is opting to sit out back-to-backs—something Kawhi Leonard has done for years without the same level of criticism. Yet somehow, when Embiid makes a similar call, it’s viewed as a failure of leadership?
That’s not only unfair; it’s hypocritical.
And let’s not overlook Shaq’s “the league isn’t that physical” comment. Sure, the NBA has evolved from the bruising, hard-foul era of the ’90s, but playing center still means constant banging in the paint, taking hard falls, and absorbing physical punishment.
Embiid is no “pick-and-popper” who avoids contact—he’s a dominant low-post force who leads the league in free throw attempts for a reason. To suggest that Embiid doesn’t face physical challenges or double and triple teams is not only misleading, but it undermines the punishment and attention that he endures night after night.
For those who are paying attention, Embiid’s approach this season is part of a broader strategy to keep him fresh for the playoffs—where he’s often run out of gas due to various injuries.
Let’s be honest, it’s a strategy Philly fans have wanted for years.
The goal is simple: make sure he’s ready when the stakes are highest. As frustrating as it might be for old-school fans, the NBA’s long regular season doesn’t matter much if your best player isn’t healthy when it counts.
While Charles Barkley and Shaq might be right that Embiid’s comments send a certain “message,” maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Maybe it’s about time a superstar was honest about his priorities. Embiid’s transparency shouldn’t be seen as a failure—it should be seen as a necessary evolution in a league where longevity matters more than toughing out 82 games.
The Sixers’ first back-to-back games come in mid-November, but Embiid is already catching flak for something he’s doing to protect his future. Barkley and Shaq may not like it, but the truth is, it’s better to have a healthy Embiid in the playoffs than a banged-up version battling through meaningless regular-season games.
So while their criticisms make for great TV, they miss the bigger picture: this isn’t about coddling superstars—it’s about keeping them around long enough to win championships.
Ah one last thing: Please someone tell Marcus Hayes to seek professional help. This headline and article in the Philadelphia Inquirer (of all places) is absolutely disgusting.
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