Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has yet to play this season due to load management for his left knee, yet he’s already managed to pick up a technical foul – quite an interesting accomplishment.

In a ruling on Monday, the NBA assessed Embiid a technical foul for waving a towel on the bench during a free-throw attempt from Andrew Nembhard during Sunday's game between the Sixers and host Indiana Pacers, which the Sixers won in overtime.

The game is already in the books as a Sixers victory over the Pacers – but was still an odd ruling by the NBA. The Sixers are next in action on Wednesday, hosting the winless Detroit Pistons at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM EST.

76ers star Joel Embiid has yet to take the court in 2024-25

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid in plain clothes dribbles the ball during a timeout in the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Wells Fargo Center
© Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Embiid, the 2023 NBA MVP, stated recently that he doesn't foresee himself participating in back-to-back games for the remainder of his career in order to better preserve his longevity, via Bleacher Report.

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“If I had to guess, I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career,” Embiid said.

However, these comments were heavily scrutinized by NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, who took Embiid to task.

“I was so disappointed in Joel Embiid saying he wasn't going to play back-to-back games,” Barkley said. “You're one of the three, four or five best players in the world. You cannot say as a leader of that team, ‘I'm not going to play certain games.' That's not the way to start the season.

“As the best player on that team, and a leader, I would never go into a season saying I'm not going to play back-to-back games. I thought that was a bad message.”

Last season, Embiid was limited to 39 contests; he averaged 34.7 points per game, 11 rebounds per game, and 5.6 assists per game.