NBA Fines 76ers for Failure to Report Joel Embiid’s Injury Status
Philadelphia got slapped with a fine by the league office Thursday.
The Philadelphia 76ers received a $75,000 fine for failing to include Joel Embiid on the team’s injury report “in an accurate and timely manner” before their game against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, the NBA announced Thursday.
The league released the following statement in regard to the fine: “The fine takes into account Philadelphia’s prior history of fines for violating injury reporting rules. The league review concluded there was no violation of the Player Participation Policy because Embiid’s absence was due to a confirmed injury.”
Additionally, the New Orleans Pelicans have been fined $25,000 for their failure to include forward Trey Murphy III on the injury report for Saturday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The following has been released by the NBA: pic.twitter.com/eyOZAfTaJY
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 1, 2024
The circumstances in which Embiid, the NBA’s reigning MVP, was ruled out of last Saturday’s game were unusual. The star center injured his knee against the Indiana Pacers two days earlier, although he still ended up playing 31 minutes that game. Ahead of a highly anticipated matchup against the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, Embiid was not listed on the 76ers’ injury report on Friday.
During pregame warmups, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Embiid had been ruled out, marking the fourth consecutive season in which Embiid has been unable to play in his team’s game against the Nuggets in Denver. The 76ers’ medical staff reportedly was concerned about something they saw in Embiid’s warmup and shut him down at the last minute.
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Since the NBA’s probe determined the 76ers didn’t violate the player participation policy, Philadelphia faces a relatively lenient fine of $75,000.
The 29-year-old Embiid has been playing at an MVP-caliber level this season, scoring an NBA-leading 35.3 points per game. However, his latest injury-related absences could make him ineligible for MVP and other postseason awards, as the league requires candidates to play a minimum of 65 games.
As of Thursday, Embiid can only miss five more games in the final 37 to remain in the MVP race. He already has been ruled out of Thursday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz.