76ers Fined $100K by NBA for Not Accurately Reporting Joel Embiid's Injury Status

The Philadelphia 76ers have been fined $100,000 for inaccurately reporting on Joel Embiid's availability for Tuesday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the NBA announced on Friday.

The league noted the team had a "prior history of fines for violating injury reporting rules."

The 76ers initially listed Embiid as out with a knee injury prior to Tuesday's game against the Thunder, then changed his status about one hour before the game.

Embiid ended up recording 24 points while playing 29 minutes during the victory over the Thunder, which marked his first game played since Jan. 30.

He then played again Thursday against the Miami Heat to help the Sixers string together a second straight victory.

The NBA does not allow teams to change players' "out" status within two hours of a game starting, as noted by ESPN's Tim Bontemps.

Embiid returned to non-contact practice on March 17, per USA Today's Ky Carlin.

He was taking contact in practice on March 30, three days prior to the Sixers' contest against the Thunder, according to NBC Sports' John Clark.

Embiid was still listed as "out" ahead of the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff until a 76ers spokesperson notified reporters of the change around 5:45 p.m. ET, per Bontemps.

This is not the first time this season the 76ers have been fined for reporting violations surrounding Embiid's knee injury, which led him to undergo surgery on Feb. 6.

The Sixers were fined $75,000 by the league on Feb. 1 for failing to add Embiid to the team's injury report "in an accurate and timely manner" ahead of a contest against the Denver Nuggets.

Embiid, originally not listed on the injury report, was scratched "minutes before tipoff" against the Nuggets, according to Arnie Melendrez Stapleton of the Associated Press.

The 76ers previously received a $50,000 fine during the 2022 postseason for inaccurate reporting on Embiid's return from a concussion and orbital fracture. The team was penalized for changing Embiid's status from doubtful to available shortly before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal against the Miami Heat.

Embiid, the reigning league MVP, is averaging a career-high 34.8 points per game in 36 contests this season.