Philadelphia 76ers centre Joel Embiid has been fined $50,000 (£38,000) by the NBA for what the league determined to be a “lewd gesture” on the court.
Incident during loss to Celtics
The incident happened during Philadelphia’s 109-108 defeat to the Boston Celtics on Friday. Embiid, 31, made a chopping motion toward his groin after scoring a basket while being fouled. It’s not the first time the reigning MVP has been penalized for a similar gesture.
Embiid’s response on social media
In a post on X, Embiid shared the NBA’s announcement and appeared to mock the decision, suggesting that referees make a comparable motion when signaling a blocking foul. “Y’all better start fining the refs for doing the ‘lewd’, ‘blocking foul’ gesture since I’m not allowed to do it,” he wrote.
Managing injury recovery
Embiid did not feature in Sunday’s 129-105 win over the Brooklyn Nets, as he continues to manage his return from knee surgery earlier this year.
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