The Philadelphia 76ers have been hit with a hefty $75,000 fine by the NBA for their mishandling of Joel Embiid’s injury report. The team failed to include Embiid, their star player, on the injury report prior to their game against the Denver Nuggets. The league deemed this a violation of injury reporting rules and took into account the team’s history of fines for similar offenses. However, the league review determined that there was no violation of the Player Participation Policy as Embiid’s absence was due to a confirmed injury.
Joel Embiid’s absence from the injury report raised eyebrows, and it was later revealed that he was ruled out of the game at the last moment due to concerns about his physical condition during warm-ups. The team cited issues with his left knee as the reason for his absence. Unfortunately, this knee issue continued to bother Embiid in their subsequent game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
To make matters worse, Embiid aggravated his knee problem in a recent loss to the Golden State Warriors. As a result, he will be sidelined for at least one game as he undergoes further evaluation in Philadelphia. This setback comes at a crucial time for the 76ers as they wrap up their road trip with a matchup against the Utah Jazz.
In a separate incident, the New Orleans Pelicans were also fined $25,000 by the NBA. The team failed to include Trey Murphy III on their injury report ahead of a road game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite being listed as active, Murphy did not play in Milwaukee after participating in a game the day before in New Orleans.
Overall, these fines serve as a reminder to NBA teams about the importance of accurately and timely reporting injuries. Failure to do so can result in significant financial penalties and potential reputational damage.
