On October 24, Beijing time, according to Shams of the Athletic, the NBA plans to begin an investigation into the 76ers this week to determine whether the team violated league rules in Embiid's absence.

League rules require stars (defined as players who have been named to the All-Star or All-Star Team in the last three years) to participate in nationally streamed games, and teams will be fined if they are absent without injury or without an exception approved by the league. The 76ers have said Embiid will miss the first three regular-season games of the season, including today's home opener against the Bucks, which will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Embiid suffered a left knee injury last season, and the 76ers called his current absence (which he also missed the preseason) "left knee injury management." However, Embiid played in the playoffs and Olympics last season, and head coach Nurse recently told reporters that the All-Star center's injury has not suffered any recurrence, so the league clearly has doubts about whether there is a valid reason to miss the early season games.

Before the start of the season, the 76ers publicly stated on several occasions that they would be very cautious with Embiid this season, hoping that he would be healthy enough to make the playoffs. Shams said the club's plan is expected to include "regular breaks during the regular season and routine evaluations by doctors and 76ers medical staff." The 76ers executives also revealed that they will try to keep Embiid and George out of back-to-back games this season.

Embiid himself said, "I'll probably never play back-to-back games for the rest of my career. Embiid has already lost 11-13 kilograms and wants to lose more and will continue to wear a brace on his left knee.

Embiid played in just 39 games last season due to a knee injury. Although he returned in time to play in the playoffs against the Knicks, he wasn't in good form — and during the series, he suddenly developed Bell's palsy. This summer, he continued to play for the United States team, helping the United States team to five consecutive Olympic titles.

While George was also ruled out of the regular season opener, he recently suffered a knee injury and is still recovering, so there is no possibility of violating the entry policy.