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There’s a lot being said about the Eagles having a familial atmosphere, but it hasn’t really seemed that way with the Sixers. Sam Hinkie has wheeled and dealed so much that the roster is nearly unrecognizable. But when Joel Embiid’s yonger brother, Arthur, died yesterday, the team went into family mode.

Embiid was nowhere to be found at last night’s preseason game, as he was home grieving Arthur’s death. But he wasn’t alone. Same Hinkie, Brett Brown, and Embiid’s mentor, Luc Mbah a Moute, all skipped the game to be at Embiid’s side at his house.

Assistant coach Chad Iske, who coached in place of Brett Brown, told The Inquirer: “We are all a family here. Obviously, everybody is thinking about Joel and his family. Our hearts and prayers are with him.”

Tony Wroten said that teammates asked him if he had Embiid’s number, in an attempt to reach out to him to offer support. “When you hear news like that,” Wroten said, “it kind of kills everything.”

We might not really know many of them, but to hear that some key members of the Sixers skipped an admittedly pointless game in order to be at the side of one of their own while he mourned the loss of his brother at least gives you a better sense of who they are.

UPDATE: Bob Cooney reports that an auto accident killed 14-year-old Arthur.