Joel Embiid’s health has been a growing concern for the Philadelphia 76ers, but the team is now making it clear they don’t want his injury struggles to weigh them down this season. To protect their star center, the 76ers took precautionary steps by benching Embiid for all preseason games and even sidelining him in their season opener against the Detroit Pistons.
However, these decisions have now drawn the attention of the NBA. Recently, the NBA fined the 76ers $100,000 due to public statements about Embiid’s health.
According to the league, comments made by president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and head coach Nick Nurse regarding Embiid’s status were seen as not fully reflective of his knee issues. This scrutiny followed an investigation by the NBA looking into whether the 76ers violated the league’s Player Participation Policy with Embiid’s missed games.
NBC Sports’ John Clark reported that the investigation confirmed that Embiid’s absences did not breach the participation rule itself.
“Sources said the NBA’s investigation showed that the Sixers did not violate player participation policy with Embiid’s missed games, but in fact with the public comments that did not properly reflect his health issues with his knee,” Clark reported.
Nick Nurse Keeps Joel Embiid’s Status Under Wraps
The 76ers are keeping a close eye on Joel Embiid’s health, and head coach Nick Nurse isn’t revealing too much. After practice on Tuesday, Nurse faced questions from reporters about Embiid’s status, but he chose to keep his responses vague.
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“I’m not gonna answer. Go ahead, anybody else got anything? They have given you the updates on that, right? They have given you the updates on Joel,” Nurse said.
The All-Star center has undergone two surgeries on the meniscus of his left knee, so the team is handling his recovery with caution. Although Embiid participated in Tuesday’s practice, the 76ers have not yet confirmed if he will be available for upcoming games.
