NBA fines Sixers $100K for ‘inconsistent’ statements on Joel Embiid’s injury status

The NBA has fined the Philadelphia 76ers $100,000 for making “inconsistent” statements about the health of their All-Star center, Joel Embiid, who has been out with what the team is calling left knee management.

Embiid did not play in the team’s nationally televised season opener against Milwaukee.

The league confirmed the investigation was opened as part of the NBA’s player participation policy that went into effect last season.

Embiid and Paul George missed both games of a road trip against Toronto and Indiana. Without them, the 76ers are 1-2 headed into Wednesday’s home game against the Pistons. Tyrese Maxey scored 10 of Philadelphia’s 13 overtime points and finished with a season-high 45 to help the 76ers beat the Indiana Pacers 118-114 on Sunday for their first win of the season.

The 76ers also host Memphis on Saturday night.

Embiid was limited to 39 games last season, mostly because of knee surgery after tearing the meniscus in his left knee on Jan. 30 against Golden State. He returned for the playoffs and was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy during a first-round loss to the Knicks.

Embiid signed a $193 million contract before training camp. The 76ers have failed to advance beyond the second round of the playoffs since 2001 — in large part because Embiid has failed to stay healthy.

The Sixers finished 31-8 last season season with Embiid and 16-27 without him.

Embiid revealed ahead of training camp that he dropped about 25 to 30 pounds to stay in better condition for the season’s grind. That includes not rushing back from any further issues with the knee.

Embiid was the No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft but missed his first two full seasons with injuries. Since his first full season in 2016, Embiid has played in 433 of a possible 804 regular-season games and only 59 of 67 possible playoff games.

Embiid sprained his right knee in the 2023 playoffs, which cost him games against Brooklyn and Boston. He missed two games in the second round in 2022 and another in the first round in 2021 with various injuries, on top of the two he missed to begin the 2018 playoffs with an orbital fracture and another in 2019, also with a knee problem.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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