The league has officially launched an investigation Joel Embiid“s player involvement,” tweets ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The Player Participation Policy requires stars (defined as players who have made an All-Star or All-NBA team in the last three seasons) to apply for nationally televised games. If they are taken out of action without injury or without a league exemption, the team faces a fine.

The Sixers have already stated that Embiid, who also did not play in the preseason, will miss the first three games of the season. They are determined to keep him fresh for the postseason.

We have more on the Sixers:

• Philadelphia opened its season on Wednesday with a 15-point loss to Milwaukee Paul George also had to sit out due to a knee injury. Tyrese Maxey According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, he said injuries cannot be used as an excuse. “We played a game” Maxey said. “I'm not going to sit here and say we played poorly just because Jo(el) was out. Yes, we didn't win the game, which is the ultimate goal. But we were with Jo all preseason. Mostly just training camp. … I mean, this team's victory can't be attributed solely to Joel Embiid. That’s just not possible.”
• Embiid and George have developed a strong friendship. The Inquirer's Gina Mizell delves deeply into this topic, noting that they had extensive conversations over All-Star weekend. “He was like, 'Man, no matter what happens, I look at you as someone I want to be friends with for a long time in my life.'” George said. “And that was deep for me. Because we knew each other, but we didn't know each other on that level. … (From that point on) we just built a stronger relationship until this summer.”
• Despite the presence of this duo, Maxey feels he needs to become more of a leader, he told Tony Jones of The Athletic. “I have to lead by example. I have to lead with my voice,” he said. “I know I'm young, but I have to play well and if I can do that, I can demand respect with my game. I think Joel gave me the green light to lead, especially because he doesn't talk that much. I have a lot of veterans in the locker room who are here to help me. But I really want to lead by example by working hard.”