Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts after a score against the Portland Trail Blazers during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Triple H invites Joel Embiid to WrestleMania 40 after fine

By Jason Clinkscales | Last updated 10/31/23

Joel Embiid is getting quite the reimbursement for his latest fine. Sort of.

The Philadelphia 76ers star was fined by the NBA for his entertaining but inappropriate celebration after a made basket in the third quarter of his team's win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Oct. 29. Embiid did a crotch chop, a gesture towards his groin done in the same manner made famous by one of the most popular factions in WWE history, D-Generation X.

It's a celebration that has gotten him in trouble in the past, hence the escalated fine from the initial offense of $25,000 last season against the Brooklyn Nets to the $35,000 docking on Tuesday.

However, what made this incident amusing was how Triple H — real name Paul Levesque — took advantage of the announcement to invite Embiid to WrestleMania 40, which takes place down the block from the Wells Fargo Center next spring. Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Eagles, will host the two-day event on April 6 and 7, 2024. Levesque, the chief creative officer for WWE, is a founding member of DX and had often done the crotch chop to disrespect his opponents during matches.

Sadly, the former NBA MVP seems to have other plans around WrestleMania weekend — the NBA playoffs, should the 76ers maintain their position as one of the Eastern Conference's top contenders.

Yes sir!! I would love to but I don’t think I’m gonna be in Philly for that… #NFL https://t.co/1pEM4iaSTB
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) November 1, 2023

It wouldn't be unheard of for an athlete from the host city of a WWE event to be in attendance, in fact, it's a regular occurrence for many of the wrestling promotion's shows. Sometimes, WWE may even use the home crowd's sports fandom against them such as the brilliant use of Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young for an episode of Smackdown live from New York's Madison Square Garden months after his team defeated the Knicks in the 2021 playoffs.

This is not the first time Levesque has connected with Embiid about the center's use of the DX chop, hilariously offering to write a bigger check should the star continue to offend the league office in kind.

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