The 76ers paid the price on the court for their biggest star’s injury in two losses against the Nuggets and Trailblazers
Now, it has hit their pockets.
The NBA announced Thursday that Philadelphia was fined $75,000 for failing to include Joel Embiid on the 76ers’ injury report “in an accurate and timely manner” ahead of a game against the Nuggets on Saturday.
“The fine takes into account Philadelphia’s prior history of fines for violating injury reporting rules,” the statement from the league read. “The league review concluded that there was no violation of the Player Participation Policy because Embiid’s absence was due to a confirmed injury.”
The 2022-23 MVP suffered a left knee injury against the Pacers last Thursday, which came two days before the Nuggets matchup.
He was not listed on the injury report on Friday ahead of the big game against the defending champs and star Nikola Jokic.
However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported during pregame warmups that Embiid was ruled out after Philadelphia’s medical staff saw something concerning while the six-time All-Star was warming up in Denver.
Embiid has been on a tear so far this season, averaging a career-high — and league-best — 35.3 points per game with 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists.
But his MVP eligibility may be in jeopardy with his injury woes, as he has only appeared in 34 of the 76ers’ 46 game, with 36 remaining in the regular season.
The NBA requires that candidates for the award play in at least 65 games, so Embiid can only miss five more games.
He was ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Jazz after before re-injuring himself in a 119-107 loss to the Warriors on Tuesday night.