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NBA Hands Joel Embiid Postgame Technical Foul for Bench Antics During Pacers Free Throws

Ryan Phillips

Embiid has been given a technical foul for waving a towel from the bench during a free throw.
Embiid has been given a technical foul for waving a towel from the bench during a free throw. / Via NBA.
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Joel Embiid has yet to play a game during the 2024-25 NBA season but has already been assessed a technical foul.

Embiid is currently sidelined with a knee injury but that doesn't mean he hasn't been involved with his team. During the Philadelphia 76ers' 118-114 overtime win against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, Embiid did something to get himself in trouble with the league.

As Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard was attempting a free throw late in overtime, Embiid waved a towel to distract him. Officials didn't call him for it during the game, but the league reviewed the footage and gave him a technical.

Footage of the incident can be seen at this link.

This is against the rules but it's also a pretty silly technical foul. It doesn't help the Pacers and doesn't really hurt Embiid. Nembhard missed the free throw and Indiana went on to lose the game. They're not getting that loss back.

It is worth noting, Embiid would need 15 more technical fouls to incur a suspension. He had six last season and seven during the 2022-23 campaign, so it's highly unlikely this will come back to haunt him.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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