How many crotch chops is too many in the NBA? Apparently, four.
That’s how many times it looked like Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid thrusted and gestured toward his groin area after making a layup as Malcolm Brogdon fouled him on Sunday. He was fined $35,000 for the gesture, the league announced Tuesday.
Embiid’s outburst took place with two minutes and 14 seconds remaining in the third quarter. There’s a camera change during the chopping, so it’s possible the league’s reigning MVP went for more than four before heading to the line.
Philadelphia’s 22-point lead might have inspired the gesticulation. And while early celebrations can sometimes precede a pitfall, the 76ers went on to easily defeat Portland 126-98.
Kelly Oubre Jr. was visibly taken aback by Embiid’s actions after the bucket. But if you look at Tobias Harris, he doesn’t seem too phased by it. That’s because Embiid’s done it before, but Oubre is new. Oubre signed a one-year deal with the 76ers last month and Harris has been part of the team since 2019.
When Embiid finished a tough basket while drawing a foul against the Brooklyn Nets last season, he also did the crotch chop. The infamous “suck it” celebration was popularized by wrestling stable D-Generation X and WWE legend Triple H.
It cost Embiid $25,000 back then, which Triple H offered to subsidize at the time.
“Curious, Joel Embiid,” Triple H wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “If you wrote a bigger check now, could you get a volume discount to cover the rest of the season??”
The Cameroonian star’s previous defense of the ode to wrestling still seems to apply:
“There’s no secret that Triple H is my guy,” Embiid said after the game last season. “Obviously, DX, when I used to watch wrestling, those were my guys. Any time I get the chance, I haven’t done it in a while so I just felt like it was a good and-1. I got the ball, I didn’t even see the rim, and I felt like it was deserving of a good celebration.”
Since the league increased its punishment by $10,00 this time, Embiid might want to find a new go-to celebration.
