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NBA Fines Philadelphia 76ers Superstar Joel Embiid For Doing DX Gesture, Triple H Reacts

By John Canton • Published 28th January 2023
joel embiid triple h dx

The sports world and the WWE had a bit of a crossover when NBA superstar Joel Embiid was fined for doing a DX crotch chop during a game.

Joel Embiid is known as one of the best players in the NBA as the starting center of the Philadelphia 76ers. Standing at 7’0″ tall and 280 pounds, Embiid is a skilled big man that’s averaging 33.4 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists. He is easily on his way to his sixth straight NBA All-Star season in his age-28 season.

Recently, Embiid decided to bring a bit of the wrestling world to the court when he got a basket and the foul (an “And 1” in basketball lingo) followed by some WWE Degeneration X-style crotch chops towards the crowd as a celebration. Days later, the NBA fined the Sixers big man $25,000 for it. Embiid did it because he’s a big Triple H and DX fan.

Here’s a quick recap of why Embiid got fined courtesy of CBS Sports along with a clip of what Embiid did.

“Joel Embiid’s wallet is going to be a little lighter after the NBA announced a $25,000 fine for his celebration following a basket in the Philadelphia 76ers’ win over the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday night. After Embiid made a tough basket and before going to the line to convert his and-1 opportunity, he faced the crowd and did the famous not-so-family-friendly celebration of wrestler Triple H. The league said it was an ‘obscene gesture’ and handed down a fine.”

After the game, Joel Embiid explained his DX-inspired celebration. Embiid was a big fan growing up of DX led by Shawn Michaels and Triple H.

“There’s no secret that Triple H is my guy. 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.”

When the Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant, who is currently injured, called it a “trash celebration” by Embiid, it led to Embiid reacting with a clip of him and Triple H doing some DX crotch chops in 2021.

In case you’re wondering, Joel Embiid is making about $33.6 million this season, so a fine of $25,000 probably isn’t going to hurt him that much. Keep chopping away, Joel.

Since this post went up, Triple H also tweeted his support for Embiid.