The NBA has imposed a $100,000 fine on the Philadelphia 76ers for their handling of Joel Embiid’s return to the court, as announced on Friday by the league. The fine’s substantial amount reflects the Sixers’ previous breaches of league rules regarding injury reporting.
The official press release issued by the NBA outlined the violation and the resulting penalty:
“The NBA announced today that the Philadelphia 76ers have been fined $100,000 for violating league injury reporting rules.
The 76ers failed to accurately disclose the game availability status of Joel Embiid prior to their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2. Embiid was listed as ‘Out’ in Philadelphia’s initial injury report and subsequently played in the game. The fine takes into account the 76ers’ prior history of fines for violating injury reporting rules.”
Leading up to the Sixers’ matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, multiple reports suggested that Embiid might make his return to the court for the first time since January 30. Embiid underwent surgery in February to address an injured meniscus in his left knee.
However, Embiid was notably absent from the Sixers’ morning shootaround. Despite the approaching game, the team continued to list him as out, maintaining the same status they had maintained for over two months, up until the 5:30 p.m. ET injury report.
At 5:49 p.m., the team updated Embiid’s status to questionable. The confirmation came when Philadelphia submitted its starting lineup 30 minutes before tipoff, adhering to the league’s requirement for every team.
