The question: with professional athletes often making millions of dollars, and playing in front of a public audience that demands respect and fair play, are athletes therefore above pettiness?
The answer: absolutely not.
On Thursday, the 76ers were playing the Heat in Game 3 of their 1st round matchup when Joel Embiid, who suffered an orbital injury near the end of the season, had his protective mask break. While the malfunction was already an inconvenience for the Sixers’ star, Heat forward Justice Winslow tried to make it just a little more unusable by stomping on it after Embiid tossed it to the ground.
Winslow’s actions were likely more for agitation than anything, but he’s going to wish he never did it after the NBA announced he would be fined $15k as a result. That’s a lot of money just for trying (and failing) to get a slight edge.
The mask has reached a level of fame some NBA players may never even reach. After the man they refer to as The Process broke his face on Markelle Fultz’s shoulder during play and was assigned the mask, Embiid has had a little fun with it.
You can bet that Winslow will avoid another mask stomp if it Embiid’s face plate malfunctions again on Saturday. He may even pick it up, polish it off, and put it back on for Embiid this time around.
(H/T NBA.com)
