The NBA hit Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid with a technical foul on Monday after he was seen waving a towel near their bench in the final moments of their win over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
Embiid did not play in the 76ers’ 118-114 overtime win over the Pacers on Sunday due to a knee injury. As 76ers guard Andrew Nembhard was shooting free throws with less than 20 seconds left in the game, Embiid was waving a towel around celebrating near the baseline.
Plenty of people called Embiid out for that in the moment, including Tyrese Haliburton — who started pleading with an official while pointing at Embiid. No foul was called, however, and the 76ers held on to grab the four-point win.
As that’s a clear violation of the league’s rules, the NBA assessed a technical foul on Embiid on Monday.
Embiid has yet to play for the 76ers this season with what they are calling left knee management. He appeared in just 39 games last season due to knee injuries, but he returned for the playoffs and joined Team USA in their gold medal run at the Paris Olympics earlier this year. He said he lost more than 25 pounds in an effort to remain healthy this season, too.
It’s unclear when Embiid will make his season debut. The league has reportedly opened an investigation into the 76ers for sitting Embiid to start the season, too. It’s unknown if the 76ers have violated the NBA’s load management rules that were first implemented in 2023, though the team has said that Embiid did not re-injure himself and that he is “progressing,” but “not quite ready yet.”
Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers against the Pacers in Embiid’s absence. He dropped 45 points and shot 14-of-32 from the field in that win, which was their first of the season. Caleb Martin finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Eric Gordon added 15 points off the bench. Paul George, who landed in Philadelphia this past offseason, is recovering from a bone bruise and has yet to play this fall, too.
The 76ers, who hold a 1-2 record, will host the Detroit Pistons next on Wednesday night.