Adam Silver is trying to stop Philadelphia's load management of Joel Embiid before it even begins

The NBA has initiated an investigation into the Sixers and their management for the return of star center Joel Embiid to the court, the league confirmed Thursday.

Prior to the Philadelphia Sixers' season-opening game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, there were rumors that the NBA would begin an inquiry, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Following Philadephia’s season-opening 125-109 loss against the Bucks, Charania said that the NBA has officially started its investigation to seek whether the Sixers are in violation of the player participation policy surrounding Embiid.

Before tip-off, head coach Nick Nurse shared his opinion about the then-rumored investigation and the possibility of not having both Embiid and George on the court as much.

“I don’t have any thoughts on it,” Nurse said. “Nobody from our organization has said anything to me about that. As far as the investigation, I don’t really know.

“It’s tough with Embiid and George out, and we’re going to need some continuity at some point. We look forward to getting them both on the floor and getting as many games as we can together. Players are in and out–it happens a lot. We have to deal with it, play the best we can, prepare the best we can and go from there.”

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Joel Embiid makes comments about playing limited games

Embiid made some questionable remarks to the media regarding his focus on his health and what was needed to make a run at a championship. Within those comments, Embiid mentioned that if it were up to him, he wouldn’t play back-to-back games for the remainder of his career. 

Following those comments, newly acquired player Paul George suffered a knee injury during the preseason, and the 76ers' caused a stir after announcing that both Embiid and George would be out for the season's opening week.

Player load management has been a recurring issue for the NBA for years. To keep morale in order when it comes to big-name players from taking many nights off, the league figured out a solution. 

The NBA implemented a new player participation policy before the previous season, which mandated that teams adhere to more stringent rules. Players were labeled "stars" and subject to new regulations if they had been selected to an All-NBA or All-Star team in any of the three prior seasons.

It’s not unusual for the NBA to investigate if a star player misses a televised game. However, to conduct one before a player touches the floor is quite different. No reports have shown why the league decided to have an investigation. Regardless, Adam Silver, the Commissioner of the NBA, is showing that any violations of the player participation policy will not be tolerated.

On a more positive note, the Sixers said Embiid is "responding well to his individualized plan" and will ramp up his return-to-play activities this week, including going through scrimmages.

Embiid is expected to be out for Friday’s game against the Toronto Raptors and Sunday’s game against the Indiana Pacers.