Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid was ejected from Monday night's NBA game against San Antonio for screaming at the officials.
It happened with just under three minutes remaining in the first half with the Kings leading the Sixers 37-35. Embiid had the ball and drove towards the basket with Spurs center Victor Wembanyama defending him. Embiid leaned into the chest of Wembanyama, knocking him down in the lane, resulting in an official calling Embiid for charging. It was Embiid's third foul of the game.
Embiid jogged to halfcourt to plead his case to the official. As the official tried to walk away, Embiid became more animated and irate. Apparently he said something that stepped over the line as the official called a technical on Embiid, which really upset him. Nick Lowry and some Sixers assistant coaches stepped in between Embiid and the official as she walked away. However, it was too late as another official called the second technical on Embiid, leading to his ejection. Embiid began charging at the other official and ripped off his mask while Sixers coaches stepped in between to keep them separated.
Joel Embiid got called for charging, then got a tech for berating the ref, then got ejected for yelling at the refs and had to be held back from going after them
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero.bsky.social) December 23, 2024 at 8:06 PM
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Seems like Embiid did not feel he was getting a fair shake from the officials, but arguing with an official will never get anywhere. In most cases, you will hurt your team by getting a technical or getting yourself ejected, as was the case here.
Embiid finished with 9 points in 14 minutes. However, the Sixers managed to overcome his absence and stay focused to beat the Spurs 111-106.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
