Things are looking messy in Philadelphia because of 76ers general manager Bryan Colangelo’s Twitter fingers.
Per a report from The Ringer, Colangelo secretly operates five different accounts that he uses to defend himself and attack current and former members of the organization.
The Ringer’s Ben Detrick dug deep into the accounts—he was given a tip from an artificial intelligence professional—and some of the tweets are jaw-dropping.
Colangelo repeatedly questions the work ethic of All-Star center Joel Embiid, even calling him a “big selfish baby,” makes assumptions about the evolution of Markelle Fultz’s jumper, calls Nerlens Noel a “selfish punk” and a “vulture,” discloses Jahlil Okafor’s medical information and diminishes the job performance his predecessor, Sam Hinkie, did while in Philadelphia.
Here’s a sampling of the tweets:
@AlVic40117560: yes I want Noel gone over Jah, Jah has a bad knee but class act, Noel is a selfish punk
@AlVic40117560: ask Jah If he passed other team physical? He will not say not to lose other chance. But I bet the farm it’s what happened.
@AlVic40117560: Noel is looking out for Noel. Knows about Jay’s knee and using it for leverage. What a great teammate! He disgusts me
@AlVic40117560: Clown? Why? What did Hinkie build? My gosh the biased insanity
@AlVic40117560: @SamHinkie hey… how is the teaching at Stanford going?
@Enoughhunkownso1: If I had a medium size ladder I would love to knock some sense in Joel’s head right now. He is playing like a toddler having tantrums
@s_bonhams: Nope 👎 the so call mentor tried to force him to change the shot. Tapes have surfaced of the guy making Markelle shooting while sitting on a chair, while on his back on the floor etc. The guy denies it as he doesn’t want to say Y was forced out of kid’s life. Y nobody reports this
@Enoughhunkownso1: I am sure it is hard for [Embiid] “to process” the fact, that this is now Ben’s team. So he is acting up. This ego foul is costing us big!
@s_bonhams: I am not voting for Joel, but I am voting for Ben at every chance I get. I love his intensity, his passion and the pride for his team. Joel is a big selfish baby, not my leader anymore.”
Colangelo didn’t especially appreciate Embiid dancing at a Meek Mill concert, sending off a flurry of tweets:
@AlVic40117560: he is the one who tells the docs he still feels pain in knee.. & then this? No respect
@AlVic40117560: I completely agree. That silly dance create the pandemonium that now will prevent him to play in ASG: lesson.
@AlVic40117560: but JoJo will always have those three minutes on Meek’s stage.
@AlVic40117560: too bad that Embiid danced like a fool and the whole disaster happened, next time he will think twice before mocking his team
@AlVic40117560: alternative fact: Joel is not the future of the franchise, so who cares if he is not 100%, let’s exploit him
There’s plenty more tweets to sift through, but it looks like Embiid has already taken time to read what his general manager has to say about him, even tagging one of Colangelo’s alleged burner accounts:
BRUH pic.twitter.com/hv59PDxlgY
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) May 30, 2018
Joel told me that @samhinkie IS BETTER AND SMARTER THAN YOU @AlVic40117560 #BurnerAccount
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) May 30, 2018
Embiid has since stated that he doesn’t believe the “insane” story:
Fun night on Twitter lmao.. All jokes asides I don’t believe the story. That would just be insane
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) May 30, 2018
Colangelo had a statement prepared in response to the article:
“Like many of my colleagues in sports, I have used social media as a means to keep up with the news. While I have never posted anything whatsoever on social media, I have used the @Phila1234567 Twitter account referenced in this story to monitor our industry and other current events. This storyline is disturbing to me on many levels, as I am not familiar with any of the other accounts that have been brought to my attention, nor do I know who is behind them or what their motives may be in using them.”
According to various sources, Colangelo continues to strongly deny operation of the accounts:
In speaking to 76ers president Bryan Colangelo tonight in Los Angeles, Colangelo says he stands by his statement: No knowledge of “motives or origin.”
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 30, 2018
76ers president Bryan Colangelo has been actively reaching out to individuals mentioned in those burner accounts, insisting that he isn’t responsible for those tweets, league sources tell ESPN. Sixers probe is underway in aftermath of The Ringer story.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 30, 2018
The Sixers have already launched an investigation into the “serious” allegations made against Colangelo:
The Sixers have released an official statement on the story regarding Bryan Colangelo. This seems as though it’s offering enough wiggle room that it could lean either way. pic.twitter.com/jaxqTtmBtm
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) May 30, 2018
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