Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid was fined $25,000 by the NBA for “making an obscene gesture on the playing court,” the league announced Friday.
The incident occurred midway through the third quarter of the 76ers’ 137-133 win over the Brooklyn Nets at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night.
With Philadelphia holding a 14-point lead, Embiid was fouled on a layup by Brooklyn’s Joe Harris. He celebrated the and-1 by emulating a gesture made popular by WWE wrestlers Shawn Michaels and Triple H.
Nets forward Kevin Durant, currently sidelined with an MCL sprain in his right knee, wasn’t so impressed, calling it a “trash celebration” in a tweet while watching the game. A laughing Embiid later tweeted a response to Durant just before sitting down for his postgame news conference.
Embiid finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and three assists for the game, his first against former teammate Ben Simmons.