PHILADELPHIA -- It might be time for a pair of Philadelphia 76ers to ground their dads.
Slogging through one of the worst seasons in NBA history, the three-win Sixers have had their share of off-the-court woes. This time, Jahlil Okafor's and Kendall Marshall's dads made headlines with what they said and tweeted during games, which left the sons a bit embarrassed.
"We all love our children," Sixers coach Brett Brown said with a laugh.
Even so, these two dads might have expressed it the wrong way.
With guard Kendall Marshall's playing time down to nothing, Dennis Marshall vented about his son's decreased role Saturday night on Twitter.
"I always said there was racism in sports," Marshall tweeted on a Twitter account that has since been deleted.
Dennis Marshall went on to say, using an expletive, that white players are getting more chances even when they aren't playing well. He also took a not-so-veiled shot at struggling Sixers guard Nik Stauskas and his firm spot in the rotation.
"How are you a 'shooter' and shooting 27 percent from three?" Marshall tweeted. "Can't guard but play a lot. What do you think the reason is?"
Kendall Marshall said before Monday's 109-99 win over Minnesota that he did not share his father's opinion.
"That's not coming out of my mouth. That's not my social media," he said. "He's a grown man. It was obviously the wrong time and place to say it, but he said it. He's apologized for it since."
Dennis Marshall later apologized on Twitter.
"I am ashamed and embarrassed by my actions. I have sent a letter of apology to the Sixers," he wrote.
That was good enough for his son.
"Me and him, we go at it sometimes," Kendall Marshall said. "He knows he was wrong. He apologized for it. Coach already told me that he understands it has nothing to do with me. We're good now."
Okafor's father, Chuck, was accused on Twitter by fans within earshot of heckling Brown from behind the bench during the team's loss Saturday at the Los Angeles Clippers.
"I don't know why you guys worry about my dad," Okafor said. "He's not in the NBA. He's not on the team."
Okafor, the 2015 No. 3 pick out of Duke, has been one of the top rookies in the NBA. But his season has been marred by a series of incidents, and he served a two-game suspension last month for his role in a Boston street fight.