The NBA fined the Sixers $100,000 for the public statements made about the health of center Joel Embiid, who has not yet played a game in the 2024-25 season. Although they did not rule that Embiid missed the no-excuse games, namely the nationally televised season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks, the league reported addressed the problem with comments from team officials.

While team president Daryl Morey and head coach Nick Nurse praised Embiid’s conditioning and weight loss, Nurse insisted that Embiid “has not experienced any setbacks” due to his knee injuries. However, this contrasts with the fact that no date has yet been set for Embiid’s return to the court.

76ers’ previous game Embiid-related penaltiesThe team was penalized for being deceptive on injury reports. Embiid sat out a game in Denver after being listed as “available,” which resulted in a $75,000 fine. Later, the Sixers were fined $100,000 when Embiid sat out the game against Oklahoma City after initially being listed as “out.”

It could be argued that these penalties resulted from gaming the injury reporting system in order to gain a competitive advantage, as opposing teams failed to prepare properly. However, this season, the 76ers never claimed that Embiid would be on the court. The only people who fall victim to misleading news about Embiid’s health are people who bet on the games.

The player participation policy, which requires stars to play in nationally televised games, helps protect the NBA’s TV partners, who understandably want the best players on the court for prime-time games. Misinformation about Embiid’s health really affects long-term bets like over/under win totals.

But the NBA gambling partners so do their TV partners. ESPN even has its own sportsbook. It does not affect the integrity of 76ers basketball games; They just undermine the integrity of the bets.

It’s possible the 76ers won’t mind the penalty. The Sixers gave George and Tyrese Maxey contracts worth more than $200 million each. Embiid signed extension Its value is 193 million dollars. The 76ers also announced plans for a new $1.3 billion arena. All of this means that a $100,000 fine is a small dent in the Sixers’ finances.

Embiid did not escape unscathed. Even though he hasn’t played yet, the NBA gave him a postgame technical foul for waving a towel on the bench against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

Penalties against the 76ers are mounting. They’ll get it as long as losses don’t pile up.