After superstar center Joel Embiid suffered a knee injury in late-January and had to undergo surgery to fix the issue, the Philadelphia 76ers proceeded to plummet down the Eastern Conference standings, as they clearly weren’t the same team without their undisputed leader and face of the franchise.
The 76ers have gone from near the top of the East standings to more than likely having to get into the NBA playoffs through the Play-In Tournament, which obviously isn’t ideal for a team that was once considered to be a legitimate title contender.
Fortunately, the 76ers were recently able to get Embiid back on the floor ahead of the NBA postseason, which might be just in time for the team to build up some momentum and make a run in the playoffs.
However, the team hit a bit of a speed bump this week, with the NBA laying down the law by fining the storied franchise a significant amount.
According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, the league has fined the 76ers $100,000 for failing to accurately report Embiid’s availability for the matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
NBA has fined the Philadelphia 76ers $100,000 for failing to accurately report the availability of Joel Embiid prior to the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) April 5, 2024
The game against the Thunder was when Embiid made his return to the basketball floor after missing the last couple of months with the knee injury that required surgery.
Ultimately, the 76ers went on to win that game, with Embiid helping lead them to victory with 24 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and three steals.
Obviously, the Thunder weren’t too happy that they didn’t know Embiid was going to play and issued a complaint, which the league agreed with and acted accordingly.
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