New York — The NBA fined Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid $75,000 on Friday for making obscene gestures during the first half of his team’s 118-114 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
Embiid received the fine nearly two months after being suspended for three games without pay for shoving Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes.
Overall, Embiid had a strange day in Boston, as he fell to the floor during warmups before Wednesday’s game but remained in the starting lineup.
Embiid was taking shots near the sideline about 45 minutes before tipoff when he appeared to become entangled in a security rope that separated the players from the fans sitting courtside. The 2023 NBA MVP grabbed his right ankle and stood on the court for a minute before walking to the locker room.
Embiid finished with 27 points and nine rebounds in 31 minutes of the win. Despite playing only nine games this season, Embiid is averaging 21.3 points and 7.0 rebounds.
Embiid and the 76ers will face the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.
