Joel Embiid Gets a Retroactive Flagrant 1 for Kicking Cade Cunningham in the Groin
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The officials missed it, the video did not, and the league caught up a day later. Joel Embiid has been assessed a postgame Flagrant 1 by the NBA for kicking Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham in the groin during the Philadelphia 76ers’ 112-106 win on Wednesday, ClutchPoints and Bleacher Report report. The kick came with 5:32 left in the first quarter, Embiid scored off the play, and no foul was called at the time. It was not even his only disciplinary issue of the night.
What did Embiid do to Cunningham?
He kicked out his leg on a shot attempt and caught him where it hurts. Cunningham was defending Embiid at the three-point line when Embiid extended his right leg during an initial shooting attempt, ClutchPoints reports. The kick struck Cunningham in the groin, leaving the 25-year-old bent over in pain. Embiid subsequently passed the ball to LeBron James and blew past him for an easy dunk, and Cunningham was slow to recover as Embiid moved on. No foul was called during the sequence, and Cunningham later continued grabbing the area where he was struck. He stayed in the game and finished with 26 points and 11 assists, but the clip of the kick travelled further than anything else from the night, including the result.
What did the NBA decide after the game?
A Flagrant 1, added a day late. The NBA assessed Embiid a postgame flagrant foul for the kick, ClutchPoints’ Kris Pursiainen reported on Thursday, and ESPN’s Kris Rhim confirmed the same discipline to Bleacher Report. It is a retroactive call, the kind the league makes when its officials miss a play live and the video review makes the miss obvious. Under league regulations a Flagrant 1 carries one point, and reaching six points during the regular season results in a one-game suspension, ClutchPoints reports. A player also faces ejection after receiving two Flagrant 1 fouls in the same game, while a Flagrant 2 results in an automatic ejection. Embiid is on one point, with five to spare, and neither he nor Cunningham has commented publicly on the incident.
Was that Embiid’s only disciplinary issue that night?
No, and that is what makes the night read as a pattern rather than a single play. Embiid also received a technical foul after pushing Pistons forward Tolu Smith underneath the basket with 1:25 remaining in the first half, ClutchPoints reports, leading to a brief confrontation between the teams. Both the technical and the retroactively assessed Flagrant 1 were his first infractions of their respective types this season. The two are counted separately, so neither triggered an ejection, but a player who collects a retroactive flagrant and a technical in the same game has had a night the league office notices. It is the same kind of week the league has been having: Jonathan Kuminga was called for a flagrant foul for elbowing Alperen Sengun in Minnesota’s win at Houston on the same night Embiid kicked Cunningham, and Dillon Brooks was ejected earlier in the season for kicking Jamal Murray in the groin.
How did the game itself go?
Philadelphia won, and the standings say it mattered. The victory improved the 76ers’ record to 8-1, ClutchPoints reports, with Embiid finishing on 26 points and a season-high 15 rebounds. Jaylen Brown led Philadelphia with 30 points and seven rebounds, while Cunningham recorded 26 points and 11 assists for Detroit. The Pistons came in at 6-2 and are the only team to have beaten the 76ers so far this season, winning the previous matchup in October, Bleacher Report reports, which is why Wednesday felt like a measuring game for both sides even before the kick. The result evened the score between them, and the next meeting is a long way off.
Why are the Pistons circling the February rematch?
Because two close, heated games in a month is how a rivalry starts. Bleacher Report notes the two teams will not meet again until February, and that whether Cunningham will harbor any negative feelings towards Embiid by then remains to be seen. Piston Powered puts it more bluntly, saying Embiid may have kicked off a new rivalry for the Pistons, with Detroit ready when the rematch finally arrives. The framing is fair: the first meeting was close, the second was decided by six points and featured a kick, a technical and a shove, and the third is three months away. That is a long time to sit on a clip, and Pistons fans have already started the countdown.
What happens next for Embiid?
He plays on, one flagrant point richer, and the league moves on to the next incident. The more interesting follow-up is the one nobody can schedule: the February rematch in Detroit, when Cunningham gets his first chance to answer on the court. Until then the 76ers keep rolling at 8-1, the Pistons keep the only win against them, and the kick stays on the record as a postgame Flagrant 1, the foul the officials missed and the league added a day later. It is also a reminder of how quickly the tone of a season can shift: Luka Doncic got a courtside fan ejected in Sacramento the same week for throwing a ball at referee Chelisa Painter, and the two incidents together have made this the week the NBA’s discipline log, not its standings, did the talking.
Frequently asked questions
What did Joel Embiid do to Cade Cunningham?+
With 5:32 left in the first quarter of Wednesday's game, Cunningham was defending Embiid at the three-point line when Embiid extended his right leg during an initial shooting attempt, ClutchPoints reports. The kick struck Cunningham in the groin, leaving him bent over in pain. Embiid passed the ball to LeBron James and blew past the stricken Cunningham for an easy dunk. No foul was called during the sequence, and Cunningham was slow to recover.
What did the NBA decide after the game?+
The league assessed Embiid a postgame Flagrant 1 foul for the kick, ClutchPoints' Kris Pursiainen reported on Thursday, and ESPN's Kris Rhim confirmed the same discipline to Bleacher Report. It is a retroactive call: the officials on the floor did not whistle the play, so the league added the foul after reviewing the video. Under league rules a Flagrant 1 carries one point, and six points in a regular season bring a one-game suspension.
Was the kick Embiid's only disciplinary issue that night?+
No. He also received a technical foul after pushing Pistons forward Tolu Smith underneath the basket with 1:25 remaining in the first half, ClutchPoints reports, leading to a brief confrontation between the teams. Both the technical and the retroactively assessed Flagrant 1 were Embiid's first infractions of their respective types this season. The flagrant and the technical are counted separately, so neither triggered an ejection on the night.
How did the game itself go?+
Philadelphia won 112-106 and improved to 8-1, ClutchPoints reports. Embiid finished with 26 points and a season-high 15 rebounds, and Jaylen Brown led the 76ers with 30 points and seven rebounds. Cunningham recorded 26 points and 11 assists for Detroit despite the early blow, and stayed in the game. The Pistons, at 6-2 coming in, were the only team to have beaten Philadelphia so far this season, winning the previous matchup in October.
Why are the Pistons circling the February rematch?+
Because the two teams have now played two close, heated games and will not meet again until February. Bleacher Report notes Detroit won the October matchup and Philadelphia evened the score on Wednesday, and that whether Cunningham harbors any negative feelings by February remains to be seen. Piston Powered frames it more bluntly, saying Embiid may have kicked off a new rivalry, with Detroit ready when the rematch finally arrives.
Was the kick deliberate?+
That is the argument, and the reporting does not settle it. ClutchPoints describes the leg extension as part of an initial shooting attempt that turned into a pass, while Piston Powered calls it an intentional kick-out in a non-basketball move that should have been called immediately. What the league decided is narrower than either reading: the play was a Flagrant 1, worth one point, and Embiid was not ejected or suspended. Neither Embiid nor Cunningham has commented publicly on the incident.
What happens next for Embiid?+
He plays on with one flagrant point on his record. Six points in a regular season bring a one-game suspension, so Embiid has five to spare, and the next milestone is the February rematch in Detroit, when Cunningham gets his first chance to answer on the court. The 76ers, at 8-1, are the East's early pacesetters, and the Pistons are the only team that has beaten them, which makes the wait for that game longer than either side would like.
Is this the first flagrant of the week in the NBA?+
No, the league has had a run of them. Jonathan Kuminga was called for a flagrant foul for elbowing Alperen Sengun in Minnesota's win at Houston on the same night, and the week also saw a courtside fan ejected in Sacramento after throwing a ball at referee Chelisa Painter. Embiid's is the only one of the three the league had to add after the fact, which is why it travelled further than a routine call.
Sources
- ClutchPoints: 76ers news: Joe Embiid retroactively slapped with Flagrant 1 for kicking Cade Cunningham (the postgame Flagrant 1, the 5:32 first-quarter timing, the groin contact, the no-call, the Tolu Smith technical, the 112-106 final and the 8-1 record)
- Bleacher Report: Joel Embiid Disciplined for Kicking Cade Cunningham in Viral Video During 76ers-Pistons (ESPN's Kris Rhim confirming the postgame flagrant, the six-point suspension threshold, the October result, the February rematch)
- Heavy: NBA Makes Joel Embiid Penalty Announcement After 76ers-Pistons (the Thursday announcement, the groin contact at five minutes left in the first quarter, the Tolu Smith shove and technical)
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