NBA analyst Charles Barkley unleashes on star player for sitting out start of season

Charles Barkley is fed up with Joel Embiid and the 76ers star sitting out the first three games of the NBA season due to tax management.

The analyst turned NBA legend gave his opinion on one of the best players in the league and announced in advance that he will be absent for the first three games of the season to rest his body.

Embiid has had injury issues throughout his NBA career, never playing more than 68 games in his career.

Last year, the Team USA Olympian dealt with knee, ankle and hip injuries. Embiid only played in 39 regular season games. That didn’t stop him from being a big part of the Americans’ gold medal win in Paris.

Barkley can’t understand how Embiid’s decision helps his team or the NBA.

The 76ers have cited load management because Embiid won’t play until October 30

“Man, I have no idea what the Sixers are doing. I don’t think it’s fair,” Barkley said. “(Embiid) just signed for three years, $193 million. Three years, $193 million to play basketball. We’re not steelworkers, we’re not nurses.’

‘Just like people who have a real job and have to work 40 to 50 hours a week. We play basketball a maximum of four days a week. Usually three days a week. He has the best backup in the league in (Andre) Drummond.”

“If they had to say it, and Kenny (Smith) and (Shaquille O’Neal) know this, just say, ‘Hey, I’m going to play 25 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back.'” Or then Drummond plays. But to say it in advance was stupidity on the Sixers’ part.”

Due to the 76ers’ reasoning, the NBA has launched an investigation into the team’s reasoning.

Embiid missed preseason games due to injury management, while the 7-foot center played for Team USA months earlier.

The NBA has put a number of guardrails in place to prevent players from sitting out and earning the same salary, such as setting a playing minimum to qualify for postseason awards such as MVP.