Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid’s return on Tuesday did not come without controversy.
The reigning MVP played just under 30 minutes in a 109-105 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa. Embiid came back from a nagging knee injury that had kept him on the sidelines since January.
It had been reported in the days leading up to Tuesday’s game that Embiid’s return was imminent. But the 7’2″ center’s appearance against the Thunder still caught everyone off guard — apparently including the NBA office.
The lead-up to Embiid’s return was described as “a wild 30 hours” by TNT reporter Jared Greenberg during his pregame report.
The 76ers initially ruled Embiid out of Tuesday’s contest. That designation still appeared to be accurate early Tuesday when the big man missed his team’s morning shootaround.
However, Embiid reportedly arrived at Wells Fargo Center two hours before tip-off and was suddenly upgraded to questionable. He was then cleared to play shortly thereafter.
“Joel Embiid is officially playing and starting tonight.”
@JaredSGreenberg reports live from Philly with the latest on Joel Embiid’s return to the starting lineup! pic.twitter.com/S59WJCYN0B— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 2, 2024
According to Greenberg’s report, several NBA league office members believe that an investigation will be launched into the anomalous reporting of Embiid’s availability.
NBA regulations stipulate that teams are supposed to provide accurate and up-to-date player injury reports before games. Embiid’s sudden reversal from “out” to “available” likely raised some red flags within the league office.
It’s not the first time that the 76ers has had trouble abiding by the NBA’s injury reporting rules. Philadelphia was punished earlier this season for a sudden Embiid no-show against the Denver Nuggets.
