Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has lashed out after being hit with a $50,000 fine for exhibiting a “lewd gesture” during a 109-108 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday.
The seven-time All-Star big man, 31, has had an uneven start to his season. Playing under a strict minutes limit as he recovers from two knee surgeries over the past two seasons, Embiid has still managed to put up impressive numbers during his limited playtime.
For the first time since his emergence, however, Embiid has become somewhat of an afterthought for Philadelphia. This shift is largely due to the team seemingly discovering its backcourt of the future. Point guard Tyrese Maxey, already an All-Star, appears to have stepped up to an All-NBA level, becoming the new focal point of head coach Nick Nurse’s fast-paced offense.
Meanwhile, No. 3 draft pick V.J. Edgecombe has emerged as an early Rookie of the Year favorite thanks to his confident scoring ability.
In response to the fine, Embiid took to his X (formerly Twitter) account to express his displeasure, quote-tweeting NBA Communications’ announcement of the penalty. Interestingly, he also called out the NFL in his post.
“Yall better start fining the refs for doing the ‘Lewd’, ‘blocking foul’ gesture since I’m not allowed to do it #NFL,” Embiid wrote.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
https://www.newsweek.com/sports/nba/76ers-joel-embiid-claps-back-at-nba-punishment-10979077