In a close 107-106 win by the Philadelphia 76ers over the Los Angeles Lakers, controversy abounded when perennial All-Star LeBron James allegedly shoved Joel Embiid in the third quarter resulting in a flagrant 1.
The Philadelphia 76ers center, Embiid has been suffering back issues since earlier in the season. His fall after the play led many to believe that Embiid’s landing on his back may finally bring an end to his troubled injuries as his writhing on the court indicated he was simply adding to the dramatics.
Upon official review by the league, after a post-game motion was filed by Los Angeles Lakers with heavy lobbying from LeBron James himself, the NBA has decided to rescind the flagrant foul on James. Further, the league determined that DeMarcus Cousins of the Houston Rockets will serve a 2 game suspension and Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors will miss the next game and be fined $50,000.
A request for comment from the league offered the following justification. Immediately after the contended basket, LeBron James smartly disregarded any harm that may have resulted and instead conferred with on-court officials. Citing his past expertise with flopping, James suggested that Embiid was overreacting. Accepting this conclusion, the NBA further determined that DeMarcus Cousins and Draymond Green were to be held accountable for the encounter as they would have been ejected had they been in the game.
League spokesperson, Leon Cooper, commented further
LeBron James did not make a valid basketball play, but instead he made a smart reputation play. For that, there is no way the league would call a foul in those circumstances.
Leon Cooper, NBA Spokesperson
The NBA is continuing their investigation into the troublesome play but has assured fans that no further consequence will be applied to the the Laker’s captain. One potential consideration is to bring forth criminal charges against former NBA player Rasheed Wallace. The league is also entertaining revising the score of the game to retroactively remove the two free throws Joel Embiid subsequently made, resulting in a 106-105 win for the Lakers.
This series of actions has been consistent with the NBA policy outlined earlier this decade that select players would receive an alternate standard of officiating commensurate with their profile among the lucrative interests of the league.