Joel Embiid has always been one of the most hilariously expressive players in the entire association. He relishes ruffling the feathers of opposition fans, and on Friday night, in an away game against the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA In-Season Tournament, the Philadelphia 76ers star had an opportunity to rub some salt on Hawks' fans wounds after the reigning MVP finished a tough and-one bucket over Onyeka Okongwu in the third quarter of what ended up being a 126-116 win for the Sixers.

Embiid already had both of his arms in the air, winding up to pull off yet another crotch chop to pay homage to the iconic WWE wrestling stable of Triple H and Shawn Michaels — D-Generation X. However, Embiid must have remembered that he lost $35,000 the last time he celebrated in that manner. So instead of thrusting both his arms across his groin, he instead held them in the air around his waist while he looked at his midsection, thinking about how much lighter his wallet would be had he pushed through with that hilarious celebration.

The DX crotch chop was deemed by the NBA as an “obscene” act, hence the hefty fine for Joel Embiid for that celebration, which he pulled off during the Sixers' decimation of the Portland Trail Blazers back on October 29, 2023. Embiid also chopped his crotch after an and-one layup in the third quarter of that aforementioned contest, so perhaps it's merely muscle memory at this point for the Sixers star to channel his inner Hunter Hearst Helmsley in these very specific circumstances.

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As one would have it, the very first fine Embiid drew for a crotch chop came after he nailed an and-one layup against the Brooklyn Nets back in January 2023; during that time, the Sixers and Nets still had an air of rivalry to them after the Ben Simmons-James Harden trade of 2022, so Embiid chopped his crotch ferociously, doing so three times. He was fined $25,000 by the league back then, so he has lost a total of $60,000 for this celebration.

But now, Embiid, despite being a mega-millionaire, knows better than to lose himself money. After all, in this economy, every dollar counts.