NBA likely to investigate Philadelphia 76ers over Joel Embiid's player participation, report says
The NBA is likely to investigate the Philadelphia 76ers about Joel Embiid's player participation, according to a report from ESPN on Wednesday.
The report comes as Embiid is out for Wednesday night's season opener against former Sixers coach Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks with a knee injury.
Embiid, who signed a $193 million contract extension before training camp, didn't play in the preseason with what the Sixers called left knee management.
On Tuesday, the Sixers said the former NBA MVP will not play this week and will be re-evaluated during the weekend. The team said that Embiid is "responding well to his individualized plan and is expected to ramp up his return to play activities this week, including scrimmaging."
Embiid was limited to 39 regular season games last season and underwent knee surgery. He returned for the playoffs against the New York Knicks but also played through Bell's palsy in the series.
Embiid 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.
Along with Embiid, the Sixers will be without Paul George in the opener against the Bucks. George, the nine-time All-Star who signed a max contract with the Sixers in the offseason, suffered a hyperextended knee last week in a preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks. An MRI showed a bone bruise but no structural damage in the knee.
The Sixers said that the 34-year-old will miss at least Wednesday's game and be re-evaluated later in the week.
Philadelphia plays in Toronto on Friday and Indiana on Sunday.
