Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid’s feud with LaVar Ball proved costly after he was fined $10,000 by the NBA for swearing at the father of Los Angeles Lakers No. 2 overall pick Lonzo Ball. Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype reported that NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Kiki Vandeweghe slapped Embiid with the fine after saying "F--k LaVar Ball," during an Instagram Live video he posted Tuesday, per TMZ Sports.
The animosity between LaVar and Embiid started when the 76ers center chimed in on Ben Simmons’ “Crazy Pills” tweet, referring to Lonzo’s father, during the 2017 NBA Draft.
In a reply to Simmons, Embiid tweeted “Please dunk on him so hard that his daddy runs on the court to save him”.
Embiid sparked word war with LaVar
In an interview with 97.5 The Fanatic, LaVar mentioned the injury history of both Embiid and Simmons, saying they “don’t even stay on the court long enough” so they spend time on Twitter and “make some stuff." At the same time, LaVar told Embiid and Simmons to work on their game in the gym instead of spending too much time on Twitter. During the same interview, LaVar also questioned the ability of Markelle Fultz, who was taken by the 76ers as No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, ahead of his son Lonzo.
LaVar also criticized the collegiate careers of both Fultz and Simmons, saying they failed to improve their respective schools despite showing their potential that both made them No.
1 overall picks in the past two seasons. Simmons, who was taken No. 1 overall by the Sixers in 2016, averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.0 steals per game but LSU finished with a 19-14 mark. Fultz, for his part, tallied 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists but Washington ended its campaign with a 9-22 record.
After LaVar’s interview, Embiid’s Instagram Live video surfaced, prompting another reply from Lonzo’s father. This time, the elder Ball questioned Embiid’s intelligence, saying his “vocabulary is limited” and “you gotta use cuss words when you don't have no intellect."
76ers working on extension with Embiid
According to Chatsports.com, the 76ers are working on a contract extension with Embiid but will not comment until negotiations are done.
Embiid is eligible for a four-year, $100 million contract extension starting next season or a five-year, $130 million extension that would begin in the 2018-19 season. If they fail to reach a deal, Embiid will become a restricted free agent next July. In 31 games last season, Embiid averaged 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in just 25.4 minutes of action per outing.
