Joel Embiid
and the Philadelphia 76ers
faced the Detroit Pistons
on the road tonight
. Near the end of the first half, Embiid got into a heated tussle with Tolu Smith that turned into a shoving contest after Smith hit him behind the head while guarding him in the post.
After the play was stopped, Embiid turned around and confronted Smith, who shoved him back as the fight broke out underneath the 76ers' basket. Both teams' players and coaching staff members had to intervene to separate the two sides.
Joel Embiid and Tolu Smith fight for position in the paint, Embiid elbows Smith in the chest; Smith swipes the ball away from Embiid, and both start pushing each other, and a kerfuffle ensues.
"Fuck Embiid" chants echo in the arena, which Embiid encourages.
A technical foul only on Embiid, upon review.
Full incident.
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) November 5, 2026
After the incident, the Pistons' fans in the arena began booing Joel Embiid, who only encouraged their behavior in return.
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"F–k Embiid!"
chants echoed across the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Officials assessed Joel Embiid a technical foul after reviewing the incident.
NBA fans saw this incident on social media
and had mixed reactions. Some called out Joel Embiid for fighting a two-way player who recently got promoted to a standard contract, while others encouraged his reaction.
"Don't blame Tolu if you had to play against a flopper like that; I'd b—h him too."
"Embiid is an abomination of a human being."
"Embiid is not tough like that."
"The crowd is not cooling him off. Embiid went into the half with 13 points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes, only 3-8 from the field, so most of it came at the line; Philly leads 56-42."
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"Embiid picking a fight with Tolu Smith is wild; dude really never met a feud he didn't like."
"Things got heated between Embiid and Tolu Smith; that competitive fire is on full display.????????"
Embiid clearly wasn't the crowd's favorite tonight, as the game kept getting physical. But even NBA legends Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley ridiculed the fight during their segment
on Inside the NBA.
"Oh, call the cops. Police presence,"
Shaquille O'Neal joked.
"I've been kissed harder,"
Charles Barkley reacted.
Joel Embiid had 13 points, eight rebounds, one assist, and one steal in the first half, shooting 3-8 from the field. Meanwhile, Tolu Smith saw only five minutes of action in the second quarter (after sitting the entire first quarter).
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While the 76ers maintained control and entered halftime with a comfortable 56-42 lead, the incident has become one of the night's biggest talking points. Embiid's willingness to engage with the Detroit crowd only fueled the atmosphere further.
It remains to be seen what both players say about this incident after the game.
