Atta Kusi, a former defender for Asante Kotoko, regrets playing football.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the NBA is probably going to look into Joel Embiid's absence from the Sixers' lineup this week to see if the team is breaking the league's player participation rules.

Players who have made an All-Star or All-NBA team during the last three seasons are required by the player participation policy to play in nationally broadcast games. The team faces a fine if they are kept out of action without suffering an injury or without the league issuing an exception.

The Sixers have already announced that Embiid will miss the season's first three games, including Wednesday's home opener against Milwaukee, which ESPN will broadcast nationally.

The Sixers have described Embiid's absence this fall—he missed the preseason as well—as "left knee injury management." Embiid suffered with a left knee ailment last season. But since Embiid participated in the Olympics and the postseason and head coach Nick Nurse assured reporters on Tuesday that the star center has not experienced any injuries, the league is unsure if there is a good reason why he should not be starting the season.

The Sixers have stated openly and again in the run-up to the season that they will treat Embiid with particular caution this year in the hopes of having him fit for the postseason. Charania stated that "periodic time off during the regular season and routine evaluations from doctors and the 76ers medical team" are parts of the club's plan.

The player participation policy allows for enough flexibility for the Sixers to follow its guidelines and still give Embiid plenty of off days throughout the season. It also prohibits teams from resting multiple stars in the same game, frequently resting a star during road games, or resting a star during an in-season tournament game. The 76ers might have to be ready to pay some fines, too, if they choose to control the former MVP's participation according to their rules rather than the NBA's.

Although Philadelphia's regular season opener on Wednesday is also without Paul George, there is not a possible violation of the participation regulation because he just had a knee injury from which he is still rehabilitating.