Friday night, after a first-quarter elbow jumper drew an and-1, Joel Embiid celebrated with the Shawn Michaels/D-Generation X “suck it” celebration.
That cost him $50,000 for “making a lewd gesture on the playing court,” the NBA announced Sunday.
Embiid responded on X that if he is getting fined for this gesture, NBA referees should be fined for their blocking call gestures.
I appreciate where Embiid is going, but anything we can do to get actual personality from the referees is welcome in these parts.
Philadelphia is off to a fast 4-1 start this season, with Embiid averaging 17.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in just more than 22 minutes a game. Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and the 76ers’ backcourt have sparked the hot start and are the reason Philadelphia has the second-best offense in the league so far.