Joel Embiid WWE Celebration Results in $35,000 Fine, WrestleMania Invite

The NBA wasn’t a fan of Embiid’s WWE-inspired celebration, but Triple H seems to have been impressed.
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76ers center Joel Embiid’s viral celebration from this weekend is going to end up costing him a pretty penny.

Embiid was fined $35,000 by the NBA as a result of the celebration he did against the Trail Blazers on Sunday, the league announced Tuesday.

During the celebration in question, Embiid could be seen doing a “crotch chop” after hitting a layup in traffic and drawing an and-one. The move resembled the “Suck It” celebration made famous by WWE’s D-Generation X, but it doesn’t seem the NBA was too fond of it. 

After Embiid’s fine was announced, WWE legend Triple H reached out to the NBA superstar with a hilarious proposition.

With WrestleMania 40 coming up in April 2024 and set to be held in Philadelphia, Triple H told Embiid that he knew a place where those antics would not only be tolerated, but celebrated.

“Hey [Joel Embiid] I know a place where you can do that all day, and everyone will love it. WrestleMania 40 is right there in Philly...” wrote Triple H on X.

It’s not the first time that Embiid has pulled out the D-Generation X celebration, having previously been fined $25,000 for the same act against the Nets in January. 

It’s quickly becoming a costly celebration for Embiid, whose fine on Sunday was his first of the season. 


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Karl Rasmussen
KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.