NBA investigating 76ers’ handling of Joel Embiid’s return-to-play plan

The NBA has opened an investigation into how the Philadelphia 76ers are handling star center Joel Embiid’s return to the court, the league confirmed Thursday. Embiid was ruled out of the Sixers’ first three games of the season, including their season-opening 125-109 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, which was nationally televised.

Ahead of last season, the NBA introduced a new player participation policy (PPP) that required teams to follow stricter guidelines. Players who had made an All-NBA or All-Star team in any of the three previous seasons were designated as “stars” and subject to new rules.

Under the new PPP, teams must ensure that:

No more than one star player is unavailable for the same gameStar players are available for national TV and NBA Cup gamesMaintain a balance between one-game absences for star players between road and home gamesRefrain from a long-term shutdown such that it would affect the integrity of the gameEnsure that rested players are present and visible to fansTeams found to be violating the rules are fined $100,000 for the first violation, $250,000 for the second violation and $1.25 million for a third violation. Investigations are automatically triggered when a star player misses a nationally televised game, multiple star players on the same team miss the same game or there are inconsistent statements (from a GM, coach, a player, player representative, etc.) that contradict the player’s status on the injury report.

Exceptions to such rules are, of course, in place for injuries, personal reasons and pre-approved back-to-back restrictions based on a player’s age, career workload or serious injury history. Embiid, 30, told ESPN that he may “never” play in back-to-backs for the remainder of his career.

Embiid, who falls into the star player category, is currently following an individualized recovery program for his left knee, which was surgically repaired late last season after he tore his meniscus. He was limited to just 39 regular season games, but returned for the playoffs only to aggravate the injury during the Sixers’ first-round series with the New York Knicks, which they lost in six games. 

Embiid was able to participate in the Olympics this summer with Team USA, and helped the Americans win a gold medal, which has made his current restrictions somewhat surprising. It has also, evidently, piqued the interest of the league, which could reasonably be frustrated about one of its best players sitting out on opening night. 

The Sixers have not disclosed a new injury, and have stated only that Embiid is “responding well to his individualized plan and is expected to ramp up his return to play activities this week, including scrimmaging.”

At the team’s media day, Embiid revealed that he texted team president Daryl Morey following the Sixers’ elimination. “We got to do whatever it takes to make sure that in the postseason I’m healthy,” Embiid wrote. To that point, he has lost 25-30 pounds and will wear a brace on his left knee moving forward, in addition to back-to-back restrictions.