Joel Embiid receives technical foul for waving towel during Philadelphia 76ers' win over Indiana Pacers
Joel Embiid has yet to make his debut in the 2024-25 regular season for the Philadelphia 76ers, but he's already picked up a technical foul.
On Monday, the NBA announced that Embiid was assessed with a postgame technical foul after he was seen on the broadcast waving a towel from the bench as Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard attempted free throws during overtime in Philadelphia's 118-114 victory over Indiana on Sunday.
Tyrese Maxey scored 45 points as the Sixers picked up their first win of the season after opening the year with two straight losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors.
Embiid has missed Philadelphia's first three games of the season with what the Sixers called left knee management. Fellow superstar Paul George has also missed as many games as Embiid after the nine-team All-Star hyperextended left knee in a preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks. An MRI showed a bone bruise but no structural damage in the knee.
The NBA is reportedly investigating the Sixers over Embiid's player participation.
Last week, the Sixers said Embiid is "responding well to his individualized plan and is expected to ramp up his return to play activities this week, including scrimmaging."
Embiid won a gold medal with Team USA during the 2024 Paris Olympics and signed a $193 million contract extension before training camp.
The 30-year-old was limited to 39 games last season because of knee surgery. In his career, he's never played more than 68 games in a season. He recently told ESPN that he would "probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career" to ensure he's healthy for the playoffs.
The Sixers will face the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
It's unclear when Embiid or George will make their debuts this season.