Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has lashed out after getting hit with a $50K fine for exhibiting a “lewd gesture” in 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. He’s playing under a strict minutes limit as he recovers from a pair of knee surgeries over the past two seasons, but has managed to put up big numbers even during his limited run.
For the first time since his emergence on the season, however, Embiid is something of an afterthought for Philadelphia.
That’s because the team seems to have stumbled upon its backcourt of the future. Point guard Tyrese Maxey, already an All-Star, appears to have leveled up to an All-NBA tier, emerging as the new hub of head coach Nick Nurse’s fast-paced offense. No. 3 draft pick V.J. Edgecombe, meanwhile, has become an early Rookie of the Year favorite thanks to his confident scoring.
Embiid took to his own X account to take umbrage with the decision, quote-tweeting NBA Communications’ own announcement of the fine.
Curiously, Embiid shouted 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…
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