76ers Star Joel Embiid Given $75,000 Fine Following Obscene Gesture to Celtics Crowd

76ers Star Joel Embiid Given $75,000 Fine Following Obscene Gesture to Celtics Crowd.

Dec 25, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) react to the official’s call during the second half at TD Garden.

The Boston Celtics found their groove on Friday after a dominant win over the Indiana Pacers.

 

Prior to that win, the Celtics lost three of their last four games, their most recent loss coming on Christmas Day to their rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers. The Celtics dropped a heartbreaker on Wednesday, but Sixers’ star big man Joel Embiid received a hefty fine in the process.

The NBA fined Embiid $75,000 for making an obscene gesture during the first half of his team’s 118-114 road win over the Celtics on Christmas Day.

 

The NBA made the announcement on Friday, a little after the Celtics’ match against the Pacers commenced.

Embiid has notably paid homage to the legendary wrestling stable D-Generation X in the past by emulating its infamous chop, and it’s possible that his could have gotten him in trouble here.

This wasn’t the first time Embiid has been fined for the same move. He was previously fined $35,000 for the same move on Oct. 29, 2023, against the Portland Trail Blazers.

 

The 76ers were feeling themselves after taking down Boston on the road. After the win, Embiid even went so far as to wave goodbye to the Celtics fans.

Embiid certainly contributed to the win, recording 27 points, nine rebounds, and two assists in 31 minutes of action and shooting 8-for-15 from the field.

 

Boston and Philadelphia played each other for the first time this season on Wednesday, and we should expect more epic matchups between these long-time division rivals.

The Celtics and 76ers go way back, and while Boston may dominate this new rendition, it is always a juicy match between these two.

 

The next time the Celtics will play the 76ers is Sunday, Feb. 2, in a nationally televised game on ESPN. From then on, they will play each other three times in four weeks.

The Celtics are sitting just fine in the standings. They are 23-8 through their first 31 games of the season, which is good for second in the Eastern Conference. Overall, they have the third-best record in the league and are four games back for the top spot in the East behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have a 27-4 record.

Boston still has some ways to go if they want to secure the top spot in the league.