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Sixers’ Joel Embiid fined $25,000 for obscene gesture in game against Atlanta

The 76ers center flashed his middle finger at Atlanta guard Kevin Huerter late in Monday night’s 129-112 victory at the Wells Fargo Center.

Joel Embiid was fined $25,000 for an obscene gesture in Monday's victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Joel Embiid was fined $25,000 for an obscene gesture in Monday's victory over the Atlanta Hawks.Read moreJOSE F. MORENO / Staff Photographer

CLEVELAND — That was one expensive obscene hand gesture by Joel Embiid.

The NBA fined the 76ers center $25,000 on Wednesday for raising his middle finger at Atlanta Hawks guard Kevin Huerter late in a 129-112 home victory Monday night and using profane language during a live TV interview.

Embiid made the gesture after Huerter ran behind him and stole the ball with 17.9 seconds left, instead of allowing the Sixers big man to run out the clock and celebrate the lopsided victory.

Embiid scored a career-high 49 points that night. He apologized for his actions after the game.

The amount of the fine reflected his “multiple prior violations of acceptable on-court decorum,” the league said in a news release.

Embiid was suspended two games without pay for an in-game fight against Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns on Nov. 30. The three-time All-Star also was fined $25,000 for publicly criticizing referees after a tough loss to the Boston Celtics on Feb. 12, 2019.