On social media on Wednesday afternoon, Parker announced that an arena would indeed be built for the Philadelphia 76ers in Center City.

“As your Mayor, I’m speaking from my City Hall office with a very important announcement. I am proud to share that I have made my decision, and an agreement has been reached to ensure that our Sixers are staying home,” Parker wrote on social media.

While she did not outline the exact terms of the agreement, Parker promised that it would bring “hundreds and hundreds” of jobs to Center City.

Also, she noted that her office would be “transmitting the related legislative package to our City Council of Philadelphia for its consideration where it must be approved.”

Through this agreement, Parker said the plan would bring more than $1.3 billion of private investment and will mean “hundreds of millions” in new tax revenue.

“It represents an unprecedented revival of Market Street,” she said.

Philadelphia Aug 26

Newly released studies show how 76ers proposed arena could impact Center City

Chinatown Nov 17, 2023

First community meeting for proposed 76ers arena largely attended by supporters

Philadelphia Jul 21, 2022

76ers Plan $1.3B Arena in Center City, But Nearby Leaders Push Back

Also, Parker took a moment to direct a comment toward the residents of the city’s Chinatown neighborhood — many of whom have opposed the arena plan — to say that she wants the agreement to help the “rich and vibrant” community thrive.

“I wholeheartedly believe this is the right deal for the People of Philadelphia. To the People of Chinatown, please know that I hear you. We have the best Chinatown in the United States, and I am committed to working together to support it. I’ll have a lot more to say in a formal presentation coming soon,” Parker said.

Shortly after Parker announced that an agreement had been made, in a statement, the 76ers said they were “grateful” for the mayor’s work.

“We are grateful to Mayor Parker and her team for their time and diligence in evaluating our proposal and look forward to advancing to the next steps with City Council,” the 76ers said.

Dan Hilferty, chairman and CEO of Comcast Spectacor said, in a statement, that regardless of the outcome of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment’s — the company that owns the 76ers — negotiations, the team was always welcome to remain in South Philadelphia.

“Regardless of the outcome of the City’s negotiations with HBSE, our door will always be open for the 76ers to join us in South Philadelphia if they ever conclude that is what is best for their team,” Hilferty said. “Alongside the Phillies, we are creating the dynamic and accessible destination for sports and entertainment that will create thousands of jobs, amplify our City, and create numerous community benefits. Either way, we always want what is best for Philadelphia.”

However, following the mayor’s announcement, a statement from the Save Chinatown Coalition argued that the “fight is far from over.”

Protesters gathered at City Hall shortly after the mayor’s announcement, saying they are ready to fight for their neighborhood. They believe a new arena will destroy Chinatown, and the fabric of that community.

The Save Chinatown Coalition has been fighting for months for the neighborhood.

“If you don’t have the decency to come to our community, and look us in the eye, and talk to us, that is disrespectful, that’s extremely disrespectful,” Debbie Wei, with the Save Chinatown Coalition, said.

Some sixers fans are dreading all the commotion a move like this could bring to the city.

“Traffic is going to be terrible, so not looking forward to that. It’s going to be interesting to see how many communities that’s going to disrupt too,” one Philly resident said.

Others are standing strong with the mayor.

“Best possible place for the Sixers to be at. Stay hometown. A lot of jobs. A lot of jobs are going to open up for us. We’ve been struggling with jobs and all that so,” another man said.

“Mayor Parker still hasn’t met with Chinatown after all this time, yet feels she can have a stance on whether our community should live or die. This was never about one person, and this fight is far from over. We are going to fight this, and we are going to the mat. It’s on,” said Debbie Wei, who was described as a longtime Chinatown community member and member of the Save Chinatown Coalition.

Hours after the announcement, City Councilmember Mark Squilla released a statement that reads, “Now that the Mayor has made a decision on 76 Place, CM Squilla remains steadfast in his commitment to circulate the package of bills to all stakeholders for at least 30 days.  During this time, we expect to consider all concerns and amend the legislation as needed.  Council will follow their legislative process and insure there are safeguards in place for the community stakeholders if legislation is introduced.”

IBEW Local 98 business manager Mark Lynch also released a statement to NBC10 showing his support for Mayor Parker’s announcement.

“IBEW Local 98 applauds Mayor Parker for having the political courage and vision to publicly state her support for the construction of 76 Place on East Market Street. Beyond the nearly 10,000 union construction jobs it will create over a decade, 76 Place will invite additional outside investment that will finally revitalize this dormant yet vital section of Center City,” Lynch’s statement said.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Economic Development told NBC10 that Wednesday’s announcement by Mayor Parker will not deter the state from persuing the 76ers.

“We have put forward a thoughtful and aggressive proposal that makes clear that Governor Murphy and leaders across the state would welcome the 76ers to Camden with open arms, and nothing announced today changes our view that the Sixers should seriously consider New Jersey for their next home. We play until the final buzzer sounds, and we look forward to continuing to make the case for Camden and the Garden State,” NJEDA CEO Tim Sullivan said.

State officials from New Jersey and Delaware are also looking to have the Sixers call their state home.

A spokesperson from the New Jersey Economic Deevelopment Authority said even after today’s announcement they still welcome the Sixers to Camden with open arms, “we play until the final buzzer sounds.”

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as new information becomes available.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

That doesn’t mean he took it easy with basketball. 

“It’s been a lot of work,” Council said, “per usual. But I’m getting ready for the season so I don’t expect (anything) else.”

Before the work fully commences at Sixers training camp on Oct. 1, Council stopped by school. He visited Thomas Mifflin School in Philadelphia on Thursday for a Sixers back-to-school event. 

“Just to be inspiring,” Council said. “I truly remember my time in elementary (school). I remember when we had elementary graduation, I literally cried because I enjoyed it so much. I just want them to take this time and enjoy it while they can.”

Though no longer in school, Council has studied quite a bit this summer.

He said he’s reviewed the film of several games from his rookie season to “see what I could’ve done better” and focused on nailing the details entering Year 2 in the NBA.

“Just learning the game more and being in the right spots,” Council said. “And then my shooting as well. And just being familiar with the schemes more and knowing where to be on the court offensively and defensively.” 

Council impressed Sixers coaches as an undrafted rookie by being exceptionally high-effort and self-assured when given rotation minutes. The 23-year-old remains confident in his improved jumper and believes he’s “gotten a lot better” overall.  

“Knowing the game, skill-wise, shooting-wise … I feel like my game is really becoming complete,” he said. “Playing with the Sixers for one season, I know what they’re doing, know where I’m supposed to be and when I’m supposed to be there. So I’m just looking forward to the upcoming year.”

What does being “complete” look like for Council?

On a revamped Sixers team, he aims to appeal to head coach Nick Nurse in a wide variety of situations. 

“Just being versatile,” Council said. “Being able to play two through four, even one through four at times — whatever the coach needs. If he’s looking for somebody to go rebound, I can be that option. If he’s looking for somebody to be a knockdown shooter, I can be that option. 

“Just being able to do all the little things on the court so that when he looks at the bench, I’m somebody that he can look at for one of the first options.” 

No one expects Council will be stealing minutes from Paul George, but he’s hoping to learn from his new All-Star teammate.

He recently met George at Sixers assistant coach Rico Hines’ summer runs in Los Angeles. 

“I’m looking forward to asking him all types of questions,” Council said. “And sometimes you don’t even have to ask; sometimes you can just watch. I’m kind of a visual guy, so I’m just going to watch how he moves and what he does on the court — on the defensive end as well, not just offense.” 

Another new teammate has grabbed Council’s jersey number from last season. The change caused zero tension, though.

With Caleb Martin taking No. 16, Council picked No. 14.

“I wouldn’t say he took it. I gladly gave it to him,” Council said. “I didn’t get to choose last year what I really wanted. I honestly want 4, but that’s retired (Dolph Schayes) so it really didn’t matter after that. … Fourteen was available, so I was happy with that.” 

Why 14? 

“It has a 4 in it,” said Ricky “C4” Council IV. 

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Nearly complete, to be precise. 

The team’s preseason opener will be a home game on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m., but that night’s opponent is still to be announced.

The full details for the Sixers’ other five preseason games are below:

• Oct. 11, 7 p.m. ET at Timberwolves (at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa) 
• Oct. 12, 8 p.m. ET at Celtics 
• Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m. ET at Hawks 
• Oct. 16, 7 pm. ET vs. Nets 
• Oct. 18, 7 p.m. ET at Magic 

The Oct. 11 matchup against Minnesota will be a homecoming game for the Sixers’ head coach. Nick Nurse was born in Carroll, Iowa, played college basketball at Northern Iowa and had several coaching stints in Iowa, including as the first head coach of the Des Moines-based Iowa Energy.

Philadelphia 76ers

Sixers analysis Sep 9

What will 2024-25 Sixers be able to depend on? 

Sixers news Sep 4

Sixers hiring Ariana Andonian as VP of player personnel

The Sixers will hold media day on Sept. 30 and then travel to the Bahamas for training camp from Oct. 1 through Oct. 5.

They’ll begin their regular season by hosting the Bucks on Oct. 23.

As that date approaches, we’ll dive into several significant topics for the team in Nick Nurse’s second season as head coach.

First up: What will the Sixers be able to depend on? 

The Sixers are accustomed to volatile swings in fortune, Joel Embiid injury woes and serious roster shakeups. Through it all, they’ve been a very good regular-season team since the 2017-18 campaign at 347-208 overall (62.5 winning percentage). 

It’s still felt at times like the Sixers can’t count on much, especially in the playoffs. For this year, our pre-camp read is that the following three areas should be relatively reliable.

Prolific scoring by the stars 

Joel Embiid averaged more points than minutes per game last regular season. He scored 50 points on 13-for-19 shooting in the Sixers’ Game 3 playoff win over the Knicks. In Game 5, Tyrese Maxey dropped 46. Paul George is now part of a Sixers star trio.

Will the Sixers be capable of working around some subpar outside shooting performances from their top players? George hasn’t drawn heaps of foul shots in recent years and Maxey is still figuring out the nuances of when to actively seek out contact and when to focus solely on finishing inside. However, Embiid’s foul drawing often helps to mitigate slumps. He’s shot 11.7 free throws per game over the past three seasons and the Sixers ranked third in free throw rate last year as a team, per Cleaning the Glass.

On most nights, the Sixers should be comfortable leaning on their stars’ many offensive gifts. 

Philadelphia 76ers

Sixers analysis Aug 25

Breaking down Sixers' roster and questions still to answer with offseason dust settled 

Sixers news Sep 4

Sixers hiring Ariana Andonian as VP of player personnel

Safe decision-making 

While Nurse will encourage Maxey to play an even speedier, more aggressive style, the 23-year-old is a habitually low-turnover player. He committed over three turnovers in just six games last regular season and his 6.6 turnover percentage was lowest among NBA point guards.

The Sixers had the NBA’s best turnover percentage outside of garbage time in the 2023-24 season and none of their offseason pickups should hurt them badly in that department.

Nurse also won’t tolerate a ton of reckless, possession-squandering plays by non-star players. If Andre Drummond is throwing overly ambitious backdoor passes or Eric Gordon’s having a strangely sloppy night, there’s a decent chance Nurse will consider other options. 

Role players with signature non-shooting skills 

This one’s much less specific and quantifiable. Again, we’ll return to the cold shooting scenario. Even if no Sixer is having a great shooting game, it’s fair to assume Drummond will be an elite rebounder; Kyle Lowry will be exceptionally intelligent and competitive; Caleb Martin will be versatile defensively and find ways to chip in as a cutter, slasher and offensive rebounder. 

The Sixers always need three-point shooting around their stars — Buddy Hield’s appeal last trade deadline was obvious — but the team’s current cast of role players seems dependable for plenty more than jumpers.

In a broad sense, that quality could be the difference between an adequate showing in Embiid-less playoff minutes and a disastrous blown lead. That’ll be the hope, anyway. 

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey retweeted that news.

As Howard Beck detailed in a 2017 Bleacher Report story, Morey first hired Andonian as a Rockets scouting intern in 2015. She’s been working in the Grizzlies’ front office since 2020, most recently as the team’s director of player personnel.

The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov included Andonian on an NBA “40 under 40” list this summer highlighting successful young coaches, front office members and agents around the league. 

“Those who worked with her rave about her attention to detail and scouting acumen,” Vorkunov wrote of Andonian. 

In 2018, The Athletic reported Andonian was the only female scout for an NBA team. She coordinated the Rockets’ college scouting operations during her initial stint with Morey and traveled heavily. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor noted in a 2021 piece about former Sixers wing Matisse Thybulle that Andonian “told Morey he needed to travel to see Thybulle near the start of his junior season.”

Prosper Karangwa will remain a Sixers VP of player personnel, PhillyVoice’s Adam Aaronson reported. He and Andonian will have the same title with “different areas of focus,” according to Aaronson.

Karangwa has worked closely with Morey, Sixers general manager Elton Brand and Delaware Blue Coats GM Jameer Nelson. He’s been a key figure in shaping how the Sixers organization evaluates and develops young players over the last several years. 

“Honestly, the reality of it in the NBA is you have one percent of the league that’s superstar players who can dictate the style of play and what you do once they’re in your organization,” Karangwa told NBC Sports Philadelphia in an April phone interview. “And the rest of the roster, the rest of the league is just role players. So it’s really trying to identify what does that player have that’s an outlier, that he does at an elite level? And what does that look like within our environment?  

“And once you have him, just making sure they’re aware of that and they play to their strength. You have to be a star in you own role to fit in the NBA, and it all starts with self-awareness — understanding who you are and what’s needed of you, and then just working on it.”

In 2022, the Sixers announced plans to build a new $1.3 billion arena called “76 Place” at Market East and Fashion District Philadelphia by the start of the 2031-32 NBA season. The team’s lease at the Wells Fargo Center at the South Philadelphia sports complex – where they’ve played since 1996 — ends in 2031.

A report from the Philadelphia Inquirer stated that Comcast Spectacor — which owns the Wells Fargo Center — presented a plan to a community group that would supplant the Sixers arena by turning the Fashion District mall into a biomedical research facility.

A spokesperson for Comcast Spectacor did not confirm the specific details of the Inquirer’s report but sent NBC10 four renderings of the company’s plan to revitalize Market East should the Sixers’ plans for 76 Place fall through.

“Our hope is that the 76ers remain in South Philadelphia as a partner in the Wells Fargo Center,” Dan Hilferty, Chairman & CEO of Comcast Spectacor, wrote. “We continue to offer the 76ers a 50/50 partnership, which includes the opportunity to build a new arena on an accelerated timeline. If the 76ers decide to stay in South Philadelphia, Comcast Spectacor recognizes there is still a need to revitalize Market East. As a long-time corporate citizen, we are committed to being part of the Market East solution and therefore we presented an alternative plan to create benefits for all community members and enhance Philadelphia’s vibrant downtown.”

The Sixers’ proposed arena has sparked resistance and protests from leadership in the city’s Chinatown community. Members of the community have said that the proposed arena could cause street parking to disappear as well as a rise in traffic. They also said it could be harder to hold festivals.

In August, the City of Philadelphia released four reports analyzing the potential impact of the Sixers proposed arena in Center City.

According to the study, the impact on Market East is “inconclusive” and with or without the arena, the area will still face challenges in terms of development. However, the report also notes the development could help reinvigorate the neighborhood if it can resolve transportation and safety issues.

As for Chinatown, the report says 1 in 5 small businesses in the neighborhood could benefit. Those businesses are mainly in entertainment, food and hospitality.

On the other hand, half of the small businesses in Chinatown would not benefit or see a negative impact, according to the report.

The report also says there will be no direct housing displacement, but there is evidence for indirect displacement of small businesses, through gentrification.

The announcement from Comcast Spectacor also comes as New Jersey continues to propose moving the Sixers to a new arena in Camden. On Monday, Tim Sullivan, the CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, wrote a letter to Tad Brown, the CEO of Sixers owner Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), highlighting the possibility of up to $400 million in tax incentives should the team move to Camden.

More than a month after Gov. Phil Murphy announced New Jersey officials were speaking with the Philadelphia 76ers about potentially moving the team to Camden, a new letter to the Sixers highlights the possibility of up to $400 million in tax incentives should the move take place.

“We believe the Aspire program, a critical component of the ERA toolkit, could support two awards of up to $400 million of tax credits: one to support an arena and ancillary infrastructure (parking, open space etc.) and one to support significant residential, retail and office development as part of a broader mixed use neighborhood development strategy with potential to transform the surrounding areas of the City,” Tim Sullivan, the CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, wrote in a letter to Tad Brown, the CEO of Sixers owner Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE). “An Aspire award supporting development of arena would be subject to a standard Net Benefit Test, ensuring that New Jersey taxpayers are more than paid back for their investment via incremental state, county and local tax revenues.”

Gov. Murphy confirmed in July that New Jersey officials were speaking with Sixers leadership about possibly relocating the team to Camden before their lease agreement expires with the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia in 2031.

In the letter, which was released on Monday, Sullivan wrote they envisioned a “multi-billion dollar privately-led comprehensive mixed-used development north of the Ben Franklin Bridge.”

“Anchored by a world-class arena, we believe that this project will enable development of significant residential, commercial, and retail offerings within the City of Camden,” Sullivan wrote.

The Sixers currently have a practice facility in Camden which opened in 2016. Sullivan touted New Jersey’s current relationship with the team’s ownership and the state’s multiple development projects as part of his pitch.

“The results of our focus on economic growth are clear: New Jersey has added more than 200,000 new jobs since 2018, (leading the Northeast in private sector job creation since 2020) and New Jersey now ranks third among American states for venture capital investment,” Sullivan wrote.

On Tuesday, Camden Mayor Victor G. Carstarphen released a statement supporting New Jersey’s efforts to relocate the Sixers.

“Thank you to Governor Phil Murphy and his team at NJEDA for promoting Camden, NJ as the prime location for a new sports and entertainment arena.  This type of large scale redevelopment would be a game-changer,” Carstarphen wrote. “This project would be a catalyst for additional development, attracting new residential and commercial investment, not to mention transforming the adjacent North Camden waterfront and neighborhood.”

Carstarphen described Sullivan’s proposed incentives as “attractive” and the offer “compelling.” He also described the proposed site in Camden.

“The parcel is owned by the state, shovel ready, and a prime location,” he wrote. “We are talking about taking vacant land which was a former prison site and turning it into a world-class sports and entertainment venue.”

NBC10 reached out to the city of Philadelphia for a response to the letter. A city spokesperson said Tuesday they had “no statement tonight.”

The talks with New Jersey come after the Sixers announced plans to build a new $1.3 billion arena in Center City titled “76 Place.” The proposal has sparked resistance and protests from leadership in the city’s Chinatown community. Members of the community have said that the proposed arena could cause street parking to disappear as well as a rise in traffic. They also said it could be harder to hold festivals.

The Sixers called New Jersey’s offer “thoughtful and compelling,” though the team is still talking to Philadelphia leaders about a new arena in the city.

“The reality is we are running out of time to reach an agreement that will allow the 76ers to open our new home in time for the 2031-32 NBA season,” team spokesperson Molly Mita McEndy wrote in an email. “As a result, we must take all potential options seriously, including this one.”

At an unrelated event in suburban Philadelphia on Tuesday, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro said the team wants to remain in Philadelphia and that he hasn’t been asked for tax incentives or offered any.

“I love the Sixers,” he said. “They belong in Philadelphia.”

In August, the City of Philadelphia released four reports analyzing the potential impact of the Sixers proposed arena in Center City.

According to the study, the impact on Market East is “inconclusive” and with or without the arena, the area will still face challenges in terms of development. However, the report also notes the development could help reinvigorate the neighborhood if it can resolve transportation and safety issues.

As for Chinatown, the report says 1 in 5 small businesses in the neighborhood could benefit. Those businesses are mainly in entertainment, food and hospitality.

On the other hand, half of the small businesses in Chinatown would not benefit or see a negative impact, according to the report.

The report also says there will be no direct housing displacement, but there is evidence for indirect displacement of small businesses, through gentrification.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The Sixers announced Sunday that they signed the rookie guard out of Syracuse. Mintz’s contract is an Exhibit 10 deal, a Sixers source said. 

Mintz averaged 18.8 points, 4.4 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals in his sophomore season. After going undrafted, he joined the Sixers for the summer and showed quite a few positive qualities, including smooth mid-range skills, foul-drawing savviness and disruptive defense. Over eight summer league outings, Mintz played 19.2 minutes per game and averaged 9.5 points, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals. 

Philadelphia 76ers

Sixers analysis Aug 25

Breaking down Sixers' roster and questions still to answer with offseason dust settled 

Mintz measured at 6-foot-3 without shoes and 176 pounds at the NBA draft combine. Long-range shooting is not among his main strengths; Mintz shot 28.2 percent from three-point territory last year on 2.7 attempts per game. The 21-year-old went 1 for 6 behind the arc at summer league. 

Through an Exhibit 10 contract, a team can incentivize a player to stick with its organization’s G League affiliate — the Delaware Blue Coats, in the Sixers’ case. Exhibit 10 deals can be converted to two-way contracts before the start of the NBA regular season. 

As DraftExpress’ Jon Chepkevich first reported in late June, the Sixers have also officially signed Max Fiedler to an Exhibit 10 contract. The 6-foot-11 Fiedler played 148 games over his college career at Rice and was an adept big man facilitator. He posted 9.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game as a fifth-year senior. 

With training camp approximately one month away, the Sixers’ two-way contract players are Justin Edwards, David Jones and Jeff Dowtin Jr. They have 14 players on standard NBA deals.

The four reports include: a community impact assessment; an economic impact analysis; a design consulting; and a traffic, transportation and parking analysis.

In terms of community impact, the report focused on two areas: Market East and Chinatown.

According to the study, the impact on Market East is “inconclusive” and with or without the arena, the area will still face challenges in terms of development. However, the report also notes the development could help reinvigorate the neighborhood if it can resolve transportation and safety issues.

As for Chinatown, the report says 1 in 5 small businesses in the neighborhood could benefit. Those businesses are mainly in entertainment, food and hospitality.

On the other hand, half of the small businesses in Chinatown would not benefit or see a negative impact.

The report also says there will be no direct housing displacement, but there is evidence for indirect displacement of small businesses, through gentrification.

John Chin with the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation spoke about where their organization stands on the arena.

“I think this report really highlights a concern that this arena could threaten the sustainability of our Chinatown there,” he said.

Chin says traffic is another big concern for the Chinatown community.

And the study finds there could be traffic issues, stating that if more than 40% of the attendees to the arena drive, there could be gridlock around the arena. The study also says there is sufficient garage parking to meet the arena’s demand.

The study also suggests that the Sixers should offer incentives for people not to drive, such as free transit passes with each ticket to help alleviate traffic congestion.

As for the economic impact, the study says the arena could add 53 more ticketed events to Philadelphia, including other sporting events and concerts. It also could add $390 million in tax revenue to the city after 30 years of operation.

The final part of the reports is about the design, which evaluated renderings released last year.

The design review team praised the design for allowing space for retail opportunities, but it’s also calling on the developers to create an open public space or plaza on or right next to the site.

The 76ers Development Corporation released the following statement about the reports:

“We are reviewing what has been released and we will have more to say when we are able to complete a full analysis, but it is clear already that they support what we’ve said since we first announced 76 Place: the arena is an appropriate use for Center City and will generate significant new jobs and tax revenue because Philadelphia can support two arenas. Our parking and traffic assumptions are achievable and these findings are more evidence that 76Place can be developed in a way that protects our neighbors and maximizes benefit to Philadelphia.”

The reports were not paid for by taxpayer dollars, the city noted, but by the Sixers, who the city said had no influence on the report.

The Save Chinatown Coalition also released a statement on the arena impact studies.

“That the Sixers bankrolled these studies, and failed to disclose that fact from the jump, says everything you need to know about their credibility. The economic analysis was completed by a consultant with a track record of faulty data and false projections in Philadelphia. The failure to calculate the financial cost of the arena to Chinatown, other neighborhoods, and existing businesses tells you how unserious and flawed this paperwork is. As we continue carefully reviewing these documents in the coming days, it is clear these are not the studies the community asked for or the city needs,” Vivian Chang, executive director of Asian Americans United and member of the Save Chinatown Coalition said.

The Chinatown Coalition also said there will be a rally and march on September 7 at 1 p.m. at City Hall against the arena.

A year later, the Sixers have 13 players under contract and an agreement with Guerschon Yabusele. Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said in July that the team planned to enter the season with one standard roster spot open below the 15-player maximum. There’s no need to load any projection with caveats and contingencies. 

So, with Day 1 of training camp scheduled for Oct. 1 in the Bahamas, let’s run through a tentative initial depth chart and highlight a few intriguing questions about the 2024-25 Sixers: 

Starters 

Tyrese Maxey — Kelly Oubre Jr. — Paul George — Caleb Martin — Joel Embiid 

Three holdovers here from the Sixers’ playoff starting unit last year in Maxey, Oubre and Embiid. Though Sixers head coach Nick Nurse loves Kyle Lowry’s still-effective resistance against larger players, Oubre, George and Martin sure sounds like a versatile trio defensively.

Philadelphia 76ers

Sixers analysis Aug 16

From back-to-backs to familiar faces, 7 Sixers schedule takeaways 

Bench guards 

Kyle Lowry — Eric Gordon — Reggie Jackson — Jared McCain — Jeff Dowtin Jr. (two-way contract) 

With 38-year-old Lowry, 35-year-old Gordon and 34-year-old Jackson, the Sixers aren’t short on second-unit guard experience. Whatever his precise role, Lowry should be helpful in acclimating new Sixers to Nurse’s system. 

Bench wings and forwards 

Guerschon Yabusele — Ricky Council IV — KJ Martin — Justin Edwards (two-way contract) — David Jones (two-way contract) 

Yabusele, Council and Martin may very well compete internally for rotation minutes at training camp and during the preseason. 

Bench big men 

Andre Drummond — Adem Bona 

A rebound-hungry veteran and a shot-blocking rookie behind Embiid. 

Where should the Sixers be strongest? 

Basketball’s not solely about scoring, but we’ll note that Maxey, Embiid and George combined for 83.2 points per game in the 2023-24 season.

The Sixers have tons of firepower and shouldn’t worry much about their top offensive players tripping over each other as they head to their favorite spots. And given the near-automatic double teams that Embiid draws, George’s catch-and-shoot credentials should be quite valuable. He made 43.5 percent of his 3.8 catch-and-shoot three-point attempts per game last season.

Especially if Oubre maintains the defensive focus he brought at the end of last year, the Sixers’ primary wings and forwards appear to be players who will generally work hard on both ends of the floor. As long as that’s indeed the case, the Sixers shouldn’t need to make radical repairs to their defensive habits come playoff time. 

Nurse emphasizes the possession game and the Sixers still look capable of grading out well in several core areas. De’Anthony Melton and Paul Reed have gone elsewhere, but George has consistently been far above average at his position in steal rate and Drummond is a historically excellent rebounder. That doesn’t guarantee the Sixers will again be a top-five team in both offensive and defensive turnover percentage while also fixing their defensive rebounding woes, but severe drop-offs in the possession game would be surprising. 

How about potential weaknesses? 

Broadly speaking, three stars is better than two. However, Embiid’s injury history is extensive and George is 34 years old. The Sixers know all about bad injury luck and need things to finally break their way in the playoffs. 

Maxey, Lowry, Gordon, Jackson and McCain are all 6-foot-3 or under. Those players have traits to compensate for their lack of height — Jackson’s 7-foot wingspan, Lowry’s strength and smarts, etc. — but it might not always be easy to successfully switch one through four or one through five on defense. 

Drummond and Caleb Martin stand out as new role players who will be happy to hustle and fight for “50-50” balls. Still, the Sixers will miss Nicolas Batum’s sensible, selfless game and entry passing brilliance. Sure, the Sixers’ stars will usually run the show, but it’s tough to truly replace Batum’s calm grasp of just about every imaginable situation and his great chemistry with Embiid. 

What’s the best way to approach power forward? 

On many nights, the Sixers should be perfectly fine if they opt against “traditional” power forward minutes. Guarding post-up after post-up isn’t imperative these days and none of Oubre, George and Martin could be called terribly undersized. 

• Oubre: 6-foot-7 with 7-3 wingspan, 203 pounds 
• George: 6-foot-8 with 6-11 wingspan, 220 pounds 
• Martin: 6-foot-5 with 6-10 wingspan, 210 pounds 

Returning 23-year-olds Council and KJ Martin both welcome physical challenges. Martin has more NBA frontcourt reps, but the idea of Council defending fours and earning time as a second-unit wing/forward doesn’t strike us as outlandish at all.

If Yabusele carries over his Olympic form, this topic may not be complicated for the Sixers. Regardless, a 6-foot-8, 270-pound player could be especially handy in certain matchups. For instance, opening-night opponent Milwaukee plays 6-foot-10, 250-pound Bobby Portis at both the five and the four. 

The Sixers tried a tiny bit of the “King Kong-Godzilla” duo — Drummond and Embiid — during the 2021-22 season. That would remain very outside of the box, but it’s a theoretical option when the Sixers absolutely require a rebound, are facing a double-big unit, or simply want to experiment. 

How will Sixers handle their draft picks? 

McCain is 20 years old and Bona is 21. Both were productive college players, but aspiring contenders at full strength don’t tend to throw youngsters into major roles. 

If he can gain respect and trust from Nurse, Bona has a clean path to minutes. Anytime Embiid or Drummond misses a game, he’d slide up to the Sixers’ No. 2 center. Of course, the Sixers can always send Bona down to the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats to get some game reps.

McCain should learn a lot just from watching and listening to teammates like Maxey and Lowry. The Duke product had a subpar shooting performance in summer league — 28.6 percent from the floor, 25.5 percent from three-point range — but McCain will hope to show Nurse he’s a high-caliber, quick-release marksman who can do good work both on and off the ball.

As Maxey could tell him, there’s a decent shot his minutes will be sporadic as a rookie. 

The team has agreed to a one-year, minimum salary deal with French forward Guerschon Yabusele, a source confirmed Sunday to NBC Sports Philadelphia. 

The Athletic’s Shams Charania first reported the Sixers were in serious talks with Yabusele and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the $2.1 million agreement. 

Nicknamed “The Dancing Bear,” Yabusele was listed at approximately 6-foot-8, 270 pounds by Real Madrid last season. According to Charania, Yabusele is “resolving his $2.5 million contract buyout” with Real Madrid and league rules would allow the Sixers to pay up to $850,000 of that buyout amount. 

The Celtics took Yabusele with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. He played limited NBA minutes for Boston across the 2017-18 and ’18-19 seasons, averaging 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 74 appearances. 

The 28-year-old has developed considerably since then as a multi-faceted scorer who’s quite agile for his size. Per RealGM, Yabusele averaged 9.7 points and 4.0 rebounds for Real Madrid across all competitions last season and shot 44.5 percent from three-point range on 2.7 attempts per game. 

Over France’s last two wins to reach the gold medal game in Paris, Yabusele posted 39 points on 13-for-20 shooting from the floor. He scored 20 points in the team’s final loss to the Americans, including an audacious, big-time dunk on LeBron James. 

Yabusele should be an option for Sixers head coach Nick Nurse at the four behind Caleb Martin. Once they sign him, the Sixers will be one under the maximum of 15 players on standard NBA contracts. 

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said last month the team intended to keep an open roster spot entering the season.

“As we have injuries or the needs really arise where Coach Nurse sees something we need to do, we’ll address those,” Morey said.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Let’s run through seven takeaways on their 2024-25 schedule:

1. For a second straight year, the Sixers’ first two opponents will be the Bucks and Raptors. The only difference is the Milwaukee game is at home.

That will be the Sixers’ first time starting a season with fans in attendance at home since they beat the Celtics on Oct. 23, 2019 in a contest started by Ben Simmons, Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris, Al Horford and Joel Embiid. The Sixers opened the 2020-21 season at Wells Fargo Center as well, but no fans were in the building because of COVID-19. 

2. The 15 back-to-backs on the schedule are the Sixers’ most since the 2016-17 season.

It’s not exactly a dramatic increase, though. The Sixers had 14 back-to-backs last season and went 7-7 with zero days of rest.

3. In the rest department, the stretch from Nov. 24 to Dec. 3 stands out as especially favorable. 

After playing the Clippers on Nov. 24 in Philadelphia, the Sixers will have two days of rest before three consecutive games — vs. the Rockets, at the Pistons, at the Hornets. That might be a nice period for a player(s) to take things cautiously with any minor injuries and only miss a few games. 

4. The Sixers will begin a season-long six-game road trip by visiting the Celtics on Christmas. They also have a six-game trip in March.

While the trip through the holidays starts with a serious challenge, the Sixers shouldn’t flounder. The trip includes the Jazz, Trail Blazers and Nets, who were all outside the playoff (and play-in) picture last year. 

5. Sixers at Clippers on Nov. 6 will be full of familiar faces as Paul George will return to Los Angeles and see several former Sixers in James Harden, Nicolas Batum, PJ Tucker and Mo Bamba. 

Here are other reunion games on the Sixers’ calendar: 

• Oct. 30 vs. the Pistons’ Harris and Paul Reed
• Nov. 12 vs. the Knicks’ Cameron Payne (and Villanova products Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo) 
• Nov. 18 at Miami, where Caleb Martin played the past three years 
• Dec. 8 at Chicago, where Andre Drummond played the past two years 
• Jan. 2 at the Warriors, who added De’Anthony Melton and Buddy Hield this summer 

6. Between Feb. 11 and March 3, the furthest the Sixers will be from home is New York.

Ahead of the All-Star break, their final two games are Feb. 11 vs. Toronto and Feb. 12 at Brooklyn. Five of their six games directly after the break are at home … and the one road game is against the Knicks. 

7. Though it wasn’t quite enough to avoid the play-in tournament, the Sixers finished last regular season on an eight-game winning streak and capitalized on a relatively soft end-of-year schedule.

Could they do something similar at the tail end of this season? The team’s road finale is April 9 against the Wizards, who went 15-67 last season. The Sixers will then wrap up their 2024-25 regular season by hosting two sub-.500 teams last year in the Hawks and Bulls. 

As was the case last year, NBA Cup results will determine the specifics of two December regular-season games for each team. The Sixers are in East Group A of this year’s NBA Cup with the Knicks, Nets, Magic and Hornets. 

Paul George’s Sixers debut should come on Oct. 23 when the team kicks off its season by hosting the Bucks. The Sixers will make an early-season West Coast trip and play George’s former team in a Nov. 6 meeting with the Clippers. 

On Christmas, the Sixers will face the defending champion Celtics. 

Here’s the team’s entire 2024-25 schedule:  

Besides the Celtics and Nuggets, who will play two preseason games in Abu Dhabi, NBA teams are set to hold their media days on Sept. 30.

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse will then get to work with returning All-Stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey and plenty of new pieces, including George, Caleb Martin, Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, Reggie Jackson, and rookies Jared McCain and Adem Bona.

Below are known games on the Sixers’ preseason schedule:  

• Oct. 11 against Timberwolves in Des Moines, Iowa, 7 p.m. ET 
• Oct. 12 at Celtics, 8 p.m. ET 
• Oct. 14 at Hawks, 7:30 p.m. ET 
• Oct. 16 vs. Nets, 7 p.m. ET 
• Oct. 18 at Magic, 7 p.m. ET 

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The league on Tuesday released the complete schedule for the NBA Cup, which was called the in-season tournament in its first year. The Sixers, who were drawn into East Group A with the Knicks, Magic, Nets and Hornets, will play NBA Cup games on the following dates:

• Nov. 12: Sixers vs. Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Nov. 15: Sixers at Magic, 7 p.m. ET
• Nov. 22: Sixers vs. Nets, 7 p.m. ET
• Dec. 3: Sixers at Hornets, 7 p.m. ET

On paper, New York and Orlando are clearly the Sixers’ most challenging East Group A opponents. The Knicks, who traded for Mikal Bridges this summer, knocked the Sixers out of the playoffs last year. With a young core including Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, the Magic won 47 games last season. The Sixers did sweep the regular-season series against Orlando.

If the Sixers either win their group or earn the Eastern Conference’s lone Wild Card spot, they’ll reach the knockout stage. Those quarterfinal games will take place on Dec. 10 and Dec. 11. 

The semifinals (Dec. 14) and championship game (Dec. 17) will be at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. 

The NBA’s full schedule is expected to be released soon. The Sixers will begin this season by hosting the Bucks on Oct. 23 and visit the Celtics on Christmas, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported.

TNT’s Chris Haynes reported that Paul George will return to Los Angeles to face the Clippers on Nov. 6.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Monday that the Sixers will begin a second consecutive season by matching up against the Bucks. This time, the Sixers will host Milwaukee on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

Amid the drama surrounding James Harden trade talks, the Sixers fell to a 118-117 loss last season in Milwaukee. Though the Sixers wiped out a 19-point Bucks lead and got 27 points on 9-for-11 shooting from Kelly Oubre Jr., Damian Lillard dropped 39 points and closed out a victory in his Milwaukee debut. 

Paul George’s Sixers debut should be among the major storylines this time around. 

The Sixers went 0-3 vs. the Bucks in the 2023-24 regular season, including two defeats after former Sixers head coach Doc Rivers took the Milwaukee job. Both teams went on to lose their first-round playoff series in six games. 

The NBA’s opening night of the season will be Oct. 22 and feature Knicks at Celtics and Timberwolves at Lakers, Charania reported.

Sixers at Celtics on Christmas is among the other schedule leaks thus far.

The American men’s basketball team held off the host nation in Saturday’s final at the Paris Olympics, clinching the gold medal with a 98-87 victory over France. The Team USA men have now won gold in five consecutive Olympics.

Stephen Curry was magnificent down the stretch and recorded 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting behind the arc. LeBron James added 14 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker each scored 15 points.

Victor Wembanyama led France with 26 points.

Embiid only logged 11 minutes in the final and had four points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal. He’d played a much larger role in the Americans’ semifinal win over Serbia, posting 19 points.

The opening minutes were full of frenetic, back-and-forth action. James broke the ice with a fast-break slam, but Wembanyama responded with a three-pointer over Embiid. 

Saturday’s game was nothing like Embiid’s 70-point performance back in January against Wembanyama and the Spurs. The NBA’s 2023-24 Rookie of the Year posted seven of France’s first 11 points, scoring a lefty bucket on Embiid in the post and also driving by the Sixers’ superstar for a dunk. 

Embiid’s only field-goal attempt in the first quarter was a missed mid-range jumper. He did not play for the rest of the first half as USA head coach Steve Kerr turned to Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo at center.

The game eventually settled down a bit and Team USA fared well when France used the gigantic frontcourt of Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert. Anthony Edwards made two long-range shots late in the first quarter and Davis’ put-back dunk gave the Americans a 24-17 edge. 

France then pushed back with an 8-0 run, but threes by Booker and Curry and a James and-one hoop rebuilt a slim USA lead. 

The French guards were quiet and struggled from three-point range, but Guerschon Yabusele seriously stepped up. He was ultra-aggressive on his way to 15 first-half points, including a powerful and-one slam on James. 

Embiid was ready to roll at the start of the third quarter. During an active, physical stint, Embiid went 4 for 4 at the foul line, threw a football-style pass assist ahead to James, and played solid defense against both Wembanyama and Gobert.

The Americans took a 61-47 lead on a Curry triple. France immediately chipped away at its deficit, though. Evan Fournier found a groove late in the third quarter and Team USA’s advantage was a mere six points entering the fourth.

Embiid stayed on the sidelines for the final period. The Americans appeared to be in a relatively comfortable position when Durant and Jrue Holiday knocked down timely jumpers early in the fourth, but a flurry of Team USA turnovers enabled the French to hang around.

Curry committed a giveaway when blitzed by Nicolas Batum and Wembanyama, which led to two Yabusele free throws. He split his foul shots to cut the Americans’ lead to 82-77 and Wembanyama thrilled the home crowd with a put-back basket on France’s next trip.

Ultimately, Team USA had enough left in the tank to hold off the French. Curry was the Americans’ primary answer, sinking four crucial three-pointers over the final three minutes.

It was soon time to celebrate.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Thursday night that Sixers at Celtics is among the Christmas games on the NBA schedule, in addition to Spurs at Knicks, Timberwolves at Mavericks, Lakers at Warriors and Nuggets at Suns. 

Boston rather easily won the Eastern Conference last season, earning 64 regular-season victories before running through the playoffs. The Sixers suffered a first-round series loss to the Knicks, though they’re full of optimism after signing Paul George and adding free-agent role players like Caleb Martin and Andre Drummond during a busy offseason. 

A 2024 Christmas game would be the Sixers’ third straight.

They’ve gone 3-2 on Christmas in the Joel Embiid era: 

• Lost to the Heat in 2023
• Beat the Knicks in 2022
• Beat the Bucks in 2019 
• Lost to the Celtics in 2018 
• Beat the Knicks in 2017 

The NBA has typically released its full schedule in mid-August. The league has already announced that the Sixers are in East Group A of the NBA Cup along with the Knicks, Magic, Nets and Hornets. 

The haters fed on when he struggled, and feasted when he was outright benched by Head Coach Steve Kerr for their group stage win against South Sudan.

But you can’t deny that the Americans wouldn’t have won their semifinal showdown against 3-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Serbia without Embiid’s efforts.

The Sixers big man finished with 19 points – including a personal 7-2 fourth quarter run to draw his team’s deficit down to two – on 8-of-11 shooting, to go with four rebounds, two assists, a block, and finished the game as a plus-15.

He was a huge reason the Americans are playing for gold Saturday against France, and NBA Twitter recognized the greatness.

And last, certainly not least, this video tweet should go in the Louvre.

As most of you may know, Embiid chose playing for team USA over France, and the French aren’t happy about it at all. They boo him at every opportunity, every time he touches the ball.

Maybe they know that the last time he shared a court with Victor Wembanyama he dropped a 70-burger on him. Maybe not.

But I’ll bet Wemby remembers.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Embiid posted 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting, four rebounds and two assists Thursday, helping the Americans come back for a 95-91 semifinal victory over Serbia at the Paris Olympics.

Stephen Curry was outstanding in a 36-point day and LeBron James tallied a triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

Team USA will face France in the gold medal game Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET after the host nation’s win against Germany.

The entertainment value of USA vs. Serbia will be hard to top. Both teams brought it in the shotmaking department right away. Serbia opened 5 for 5 from the field and Curry matched that scorching start by recording 14 points in under four minutes, including a three-pointer in front of his bench that he didn’t bother to watch drop through the hoop. 

Neither Embiid nor Team USA as a unit were near their best in the early going. Embiid missed a mid-range jumper and a leaner inside. He briefly had a steal near the sideline, but Embiid then turned the ball back over to Serbia in his efforts to keep it inbounds. 

The Americans trailed 23-18 when Embiid subbed out and their deficit kept growing. Everything seemed to be breaking Serbia’s way when Vasilije Micic banked in a three early in the second quarter. Serbia’s advantage got as large as 17 points in the first half.

Embiid helped Team USA wrestle back a bit of momentum. He hit an elbow jumper to begin his second stint and also drilled a corner three during a 7-0 run. 

Though Serbia continued to make some difficult shots, Embiid defended well in the second quarter, too. He held his own several times on the perimeter and battled in the paint. Offensively, he delivered a highlight when he pump faked Nikola Jokic and drove baseline for a big-time dunk. 

To start the third quarter, Jokic missed a three and Embiid made one, cutting Team USA’s deficit to single digits. 

Embiid added another dunk in the third period after driving past Jokic. Jrue Holiday canned a corner three to draw the Americans within six points and Embiid then drew an offensive foul on Jokic in the post, a call he celebrated with gusto.

However, the USA bench was badly outplayed late in the third quarter. Marko Guduric’s four-point play extended Serbia’s lead to 15 points.

The Americans stopped their downward spiral with a strong stretch early in the fourth quarter. Embiid checked back in and Devin Booker immediately sunk a three off a sideline out-of-bounds play to trim Serbia’s lead to 78-73.

The Serbians hurt the Americans a few times on the offensive glass with their double-big lineup of Jokic and Nikola Milutinov, but Embiid played a tremendous few minutes to keep Team USA’s comeback rolling. He made a jumper over Jokic and an and-one layup during a 7-0 American spurt that tied the game at 84-all.

Team USA soon went ahead when Curry worked around a thudding Embiid down screen and knocked down one of his nine long-range jumpers.

Coast-to-coast layups from Curry and James enabled Team USA to edge out Serbia in the closing minutes of a true thriller.

The world will be watching (and the home fans vehemently against the Americans) on Saturday.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

He got plenty of good work done before halftime. 

The Sixers’ All-Star big man posted 14 points Tuesday on 5-for-6 shooting and seven rebounds in a 122-87 victory.

In the semifinals, Team USA will play Serbia, who erased a 24-point deficit and edged out Australia in overtime. Superstar center Nikola Jokic tallied 21 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists and four steals. Former Sixers second-round picks Vasilije Micic and Filip Petrusev have also been key players for Serbia in this Olympics. 

Germany beat Greece and France topped Canada in Tuesday’s other quarterfinals. Both semifinals are scheduled for Thursday. 

Embiid started and matched up against Bruno Caboclo, who scored a game-high 30 points. With the exception of a turnover on his first touch, Embiid had a smooth, strong opening stint.

He drained two long-range jumpers and hit a short push shot in the first quarter. Team USA’s starters subbed out after a four-point play from Devin Booker (18 points on the day) stretched the Americans’ lead to 27-14. At that stage, the team was 11 for 14 from the field and 7 for 10 from three-point range. 

Brazil made a 13-2 push in the second quarter and cut Team USA’s advantage to single digits, but that blip didn’t last long.

On his first shot of the second period, Embiid sunk a trailing three. He brought out his DX-inspired crotch chop celebration after converting a put-back, and-one layup. Safe to say he enjoyed himself Tuesday. 

Team USA closed the first half on a 15-0 surge and took a 27-point lead on an inbounds alley-oop from LeBron James (12 points, nine assists) to Jayson Tatum.

The second half was drama-free for the Americans.

They’ll certainly be the fresher squad in Thursday’s semifinal meeting with Serbia.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Sixers superstar Joel Embiid was the only American player who never left the bench.

The seven-time NBA All-Star and two-time scoring leader suited up and was on the sidelines, but he received zero minutes in a 103-86 Team USA victory to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. 

Embiid, who’d missed practice Saturday with an illness, played 11 minutes Sunday vs. Serbia. He had a subpar Olympic debut, posting four points on 2-for-5 shooting, one block and two turnovers. 

After a DNP against Serbia, Jayson Tatum started Wednesday and had four points, five rebounds and two assists. Team USA head coach Steve Kerr went with Tatum and Anthony Davis as starters in place of Jrue Holiday and Embiid. 

The Americans jumped out to a 6-0 edge, but South Sudan briefly surged in front following a timeout by head coach Royal Ivey. Former Sixers wing Marial Shayok scored the last five points of a 10-2 run. 

Bam Adebayo backed up Davis and played on a bench unit with Holiday, Anthony Edwards, Kevin Durant and Derrick White. Team USA soon started to pull away, grabbing a 33-14 lead early in the second quarter on an Adebayo slam. The Heat big man notched a team-high 18 points in the game on 8-for-10 shooting and seven rebounds.

Kerr subbed Tyrese Halliburton in for his first Olympic action with 5:38 left in the second quarter. Haliburton sunk a three-pointer on his first possession and finished with six points and an assist over eight minutes.

South Sudan had a spirited start to the third quarter and cut Team USA’s lead down to 11 points on threes from Bul Kuol and Nuni Omot, but the Americans never appeared in serious danger of an upset loss. After a one-point exhibition win over South Sudan, they knew Wednesday’s game wouldn’t automatically be a breeze.

Team USA’s final Group C contest will be Saturday at 11:15 a.m. ET against 0-2 Puerto Rico. 

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The newly signed Sixers guard eventually emerged from the team’s practice gym and walked into the lobby, ready to field questions. He wasn’t alone.

Andre Drummond was by Jackson’s side. And, after working out with his old friend, Drummond stuck around to listen. 

First up for Jackson: What led him to choose the Sixers?

“That guy,” he said with a smile, pointing at Drummond. “Being around familiar faces, getting to come back. It’s definitely great to play with Andre again and (Paul George). … The deck looks pretty full, so that was a big part of my choice — and just an opportunity to try to do something special.”

Jackson and Drummond were Pistons teammates from February of 2015 through February of 2020. 

“That’s my brother, so it makes it easy,” Jackson said. “We’ve stayed in touch ever since our Detroit days. He knows my highs and lows. Same here. My family is connected, so I was excited to play with Andre again, and hopefully the connection looks well on the court. 

“I’m sure we’ve got something in the tank. He’s a lot younger than me, so he’s still got a lot in the tank. But just try to come in and do everything I can to help the team.”

The 34-year-old Jackson had 82 games in the tank last season for the Nuggets and averaged 10.2 points, 3.8 assists and 1.9 rebounds. 

On a team with Tyrese Maxey and Kyle Lowry at point guard, he knows his minutes may very well be infrequent or uneven. Much like Cameron Payne last year, he’ll aim to roll with anything. 

“I think the role and job is to do everything you can to win,” Jackson said, “so whether it’s be a great locker room guy, try to pass on your knowledge, staying ready at all times to play, whatever position it is. I know we’ve got some great point guards. Tyrese, congrats to him on his contract extension. He’s definitely deserving of it — All-Star player. K-Low, Hall of Famer with everything he’s done. 

“I definitely look forward to talking to them, bouncing ideas off each other, trying to see how I can help and talking to the whole coaching staff. … My mindset is just to come in and do whatever it takes — playing, cheering on, just trying to be a great teammate and enjoying the process. That’s the fun part about getting older in this game, is you start enjoying the process more. … Just try to help us be a great team and just try to do everything I can to find ways to win.”

Jackson can speak from experience about great teams. While he wasn’t part of Denver’s 2023 playoff rotation, he has a championship ring and understands those grueling, deep-playoff steps the Sixers believe they can make.  

“Continuity, work, preparation, sticking to your principles,” he said. “And honestly, just wanting it. … Once you wake up on the right side of the bed, you can live with the results. So as long as we go through the right process, I think we give ourselves a great chance to do something special.”

In addition to Drummond, Jackson’s back together with former Clippers teammate Paul George.

Though Drummond got all the credit Tuesday (and was actually in the room), George’s presence on the Sixers clearly didn’t hurt the team’s case.

“I think they’re going to get a very confident worker,” Jackson said of George. “One of the most confident players in the league. I think we all know he’s probably the smoothest player in the league. Entertaining at all times. Nothing he can’t do. Three-level scorer, high-level defender. 

“So you’re getting a superstar. (He’s) a guy who’s still hungry, a guy who still has a lot left in the tank, and a tremendous player. I can’t wait to see what he does in a Sixers jersey.” 

Eskin, 73, is a host on SportsRadio 94WIP. On his Saturday morning show, The Howard Eskin Show, he briefly spoke about the incident.

“Now, I’m not going to get into specifics other than to say that I recognize my actions offended and upset her. I feel awful about that—I really do. I apologized to her at the time of the incident, and I apologize again now. I’m truly sorry that this did occur. I know a lot of you want me to say more about this, but I don’t intend to comment on this any further and hopefully you understand,” Eskin said on-air.

Audacy, the parent company of the station Eskin works for, put out a station about the incident when after it occurred.

“We learned of an unwelcome kiss by Howard Eskin towards an Aramark employee at Citizens Bank Park,” Audacy said in a statement. “We take these matters very seriously. We immediately investigated and took action to address the matter.”

A source familiar with the investigation says the incident happened in May.

Audacy investigated the matter along with Aramark and the Phillies.

“The Phillies take these allegations very seriously. We cooperated with our partners at Audacy and Aramark on their investigations. We support Audacy’s decision to suspend Howard Eskin from Citizens Bank Park,” the Phillies said in a statement sent to NBC10.

“The safety of our employees is paramount, and when we learned that an Aramark employee had been subjected to an unwanted advance by an Audacy employee, we immediately began an investigation, which corroborated the allegations,” Aramark said in a statement.

The Philadelphia 76ers also banned Eskin from their training facility in Camden, New Jersey, until further notice.

A Comcast Spectacor spokesperson also sent a statement to NBC10.

“The Sixers control access and credentials for all of their events, including games and activities, in the Wells Fargo Center. We respect any decision they make regarding Mr. Eskin,” the spokesperson wrote. “We became aware of the incident regarding Mr. Eskin yesterday and will continue to monitor the situation.”

Eskin has been a fixture in the Philadelphia sports world since the 1980s. He has been broadcasting on both radio and TV, including NBC10. He has worked at WIP since 1986.

On a team level, the American men had a lot to like Sunday in Paris.

Team USA opened Olympic play by earning a 110-84 victory over Serbia. 

LeBron James (21 points, nine assists, seven rebounds) and Kevin Durant (23 points in 17 sensational minutes) were standouts. Serbian superstar Nikola Jokic tallied 20 points, eight assists and five rebounds. 

Embiid had a rough 11 minutes of action. On the day, he recorded four points on 2-for-5 shooting, two rebounds, one block and two turnovers. He was the only American player with a negative plus-minus Sunday (minus-8).

Embiid won the opening jump ball against former Sixers teammate Filip Petrusev. From there, he had a nightmarish start. 

The seven-time All-Star center missed a mid-range jumper and came up empty on his first Olympic trip to the foul line. After Embiid turned the ball over on a rushed backcourt inbounds pass and Ognjen Dobric dropped in a floater, Serbia held a 10-2 lead. Team USA head coach Steve Kerr called timeout and put Anthony Davis in for Embiid. 

The Americans went on a 12-2 run with Embiid sitting. James capped it by storming forward in the open floor and converting an and-one layup. 

Returning from a calf injury, Durant came off the bench late in the first quarter and promptly drained a pair of three-pointers. 

Durant stayed extremely hot in the second period, finished the first half by swishing a fadeaway jumper, and wound up starting 8 for 8 from the floor. Fantastic showing from Team USA’s all-time top scorer. 

Unsurprisingly, Embiid’s second stint was better than his dismal first. He hit a short jumper and set screens that freed James and Stephen Curry for threes. Still, Embiid wasn’t suddenly on his A-game. He conceded an and-one bucket to Jokic when the three-time MVP spun around him and scored in the post. Jokic also nailed a catch-and-shoot triple over Embiid. 

Embiid got an and-one jumper to fall in the third quarter, but he subbed out at the 5:06 mark after picking up his third foul and did not return.

Team USA built its lead to 19 points through three quarters and cruised to a blowout win in the fourth.

The Americans’ second game in Group C will be Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET vs. South Sudan, who beat Puerto Rico earlier on Sunday.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Speaking Tuesday in between press conferences for Tyrese Maxey and Paul George, Nurse sounded like he believes the Sixers have assembled a more flexible team this summer. 

“You hear me talk a lot about versatility,” the Sixers’ head coach said when asked about Caleb Martin. “I think we’ve got a lot of guys who are versatile — can play a number of positions, guard a number of positions, and just enhance our team by being versatile in general. 

“But listen, I love Caleb. I think his competitive spirit, how hard he plays and his athleticism are kind of what got him to where he is right now. I’m excited to see what it’s like with Caleb.”

With 13 standard roster spots filled, have the Sixers meaningfully improved their versatility on defense? 

The team has five players who are 6-foot-3 or under in Maxey, Kyle Lowry, Eric Gordon, Reggie Jackson and rookie Jared McCain. However, none of those guards are inherently doomed by their height defensively. 

Maxey keeps on adding muscle. Lowry knows as well as anyone how to scrap effectively at 6 feet. Jackson has an incredible 7-foot wingspan. Gordon is accustomed to switch-everything defense from his Rockets years. 

“I’ve always liked to use my strength on defense,” Gordon said in a virtual press conference on July 10. “Try to be physical as much as I can with guards — and also bigs. I can guard bigs a lot. As I’ve seen from previous years, Nick Nurse, he switches a lot and he’s very feisty on defense. … I think I jell here pretty well and it’s all about making the most of it.” 

On the wing, Martin, George and Kelly Oubre Jr. should indeed be able to handle assignments ranging from star lead guards to taller forwards.

Behind Joel Embiid, the Sixers are set to replace Paul Reed with Andre Drummond. It’s an intriguing swap.

As Drummond showed during his 2021-22 Sixers stint, he keeps his hands active, picks up some surprising steals and is open to adventure on the fast break. 

Drummond’s been well above average in steal rate for centers throughout his career; he ranked in the 95th percentile for big men last season, according to Cleaning the Glass. He’s much heftier than Reed and better equipped to do traditional center jobs like protect the rim, but Drummond also has turnover-forcing instincts on the perimeter that Nurse will likely appreciate. 

The 30-year-old big man breaks up lobs, snags pocket passes and even occasionally swipes the ball from guards. For Drummond, drop coverage doesn’t automatically mean sitting back and letting the play develop in front of him. 

Along with the fundamentals, perhaps Nurse will install and implement a bit more zone defense this season. The Sixers were zone-heavy in summer league under assistant coach Matt Brase. 

Whatever initial options Nurse turns to, he’s very open to exploring. 

“My mindset right now is that most of my ideas are going in pencil,” he said. “I’ve got some thoughts on things, but we’ll experiment and try a bunch of different things. 

“I think what we go into training camp running on both sides of the ball will take some twists and turns and evolve to where it gets to by the end of the year. So I just kind of want to see how it looks and unfolds without making it too narrow of a box.” 

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Wells Fargo confirmed with NBC10 on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, that they will be removing their name from the Wells Fargo Center in 2025.

A spokesperson with the bank said that after reviewing their sponsorships, they decided to not renew their naming rights contract to the arena located in South Philadelphia.

“Wells Fargo regularly reviews and adjusts our overall sponsorship strategy,” the spokesperson said in a statement to NBC10. “As such, we have made the business decision not to renew the naming rights contract to Wells Fargo Center. We value our relationship with Comcast Spectacor and we look forward to collaborating on live entertainment and sporting events at the Wells Fargo Center through the end of our contract in August 2025.

“Wells Fargo has a long, rich history in the City of Philadelphia. Our nearly 4,000 employees across Pennsylvania make us one of the largest private employers in the area, and we remain committed to the City of Philadelphia region. Since 2020, Wells Fargo has invested more than $21 million in philanthropic giving in the City of Philadelphia and in Pennsylvania, focused on supporting affordable housing, small business, financial health, sustainability and more.”

Wells Fargo has held the naming rights for the building since 2010. It was previously known as the First Union Center, Wachovia Center and CoreStates Center.

Comcast Spectacor shared their reaction to the news with NBC10 by issuing a statement that reads, “We are grateful for our long-standing relationship with Wells Fargo and look forward to working with a new partner as we continue to bring the best sports and entertainment experience to fans in the Philadelphia region.”

Comcast owns the Wells Fargo Center building. Comcast is also the parent company of NBC10.

With No. 13 (Wilt Chamberlain) and No. 24 (Bobby Jones) retired by the Sixers, George smiled and held up No. 8 for the cameras after his introductory press conference Tuesday. 

“I definitely looked forward to coming to Philly,” George said from the Sixers training complex in Camden, New Jersey. “My family looked forward to it. We felt that this was the best and next step in this phase of my career. I thought everything just aligned perfectly — where they’re at and where they’re trying to go, and where I’m trying to get to as well. 

“I think we’ve got a real, legitimate shot. I’ve always been a fan of Tyrese (Maxey) and Joel (Embiid) from afar. And Joel has secretly been one of my closest All-Star Game friends. It kind of felt inevitable that at some point we would link up and be teammates. So I’m all-in. My family’s here and all-in. And I’m excited. I’m looking forward to this next opportunity.”

Here are five takeaways from George’s first Sixers press conference: 

Secret’s out 

When Embiid joined George on ESPN’s NBA Countdown set during the Finals, he gave the nine-time All-Star wing a sly grin as he said, “Hopefully, this offseason we find a way to get better and add some pieces.”

The public recruitment didn’t come out of the blue. 

“I’m not much of a social guy in the All-Star setting,” George said. “I kind of keep to myself. So randomly, he came to me and we just started talking — and this was a couple All-Stars back. Then it got to a point where it’s like, man, I look forward to talking to Joel this All-Star weekend. The next All-Star comes and here we are again, chopping it up. … Over time, we just built a friendship.

“I think what kind of hit it home is we had a conversation before these convos even started. … He opened up to me. I don’t have a lot of people I talk to. I keep to myself. But he was like, man, regardless of what goes on, I look at you as someone that I want to be friends with for a long part of my life. 

“That was deep to me because we knew each other, but we didn’t know each other on that level yet. For him to open up to me, it kind of just felt right. … So from that point on, we built a stronger relationship to where it came to this summer, we talked, and we had our ways of how this could work — what it’d look like, us being out there together. At the end of the day, it just made sense. We both were at the same level of what we wanted out of it. And we felt we could’ve helped each other. I think our relationship is pretty strong.”

Asked about how Embiid compares to past superstar teammates of his, George called the 2022-23 MVP “just a hard worker.” 

“I’ve played with them all,” George said, “from (Russell Westbrook), (Kawhi Leonard). They all have the same intangibles, and that’s (being) super competitive. They want to win against all odds and work extremely hard. And I see that same quality in Joel, which makes me excited to be alongside him out there. … I’ve seen it. He plays through injuries; he wanted to be on the floor. 

“And that’s what’s most exciting, when guys are committed to being out there and playing hard and working hard. When it’s compared to other stars that I’ve played with, Joel has those same qualities that you look for. You want to be teammates with somebody who wants to win at a high level.”

Planning to just do his job 

Every aspect of the Sixers’ new star trio won’t magically click into place at training camp. 

Still, it’s nice that there’s no positional overlap with a rapid 23-year-old guard, a 6-foot-8 wing, and an enormous, multifaceted center. And George has a clear initial idea of what the Sixers need from him. 

“I know what I’m out there to do,” he said. “That’s ultimately put the ball in the basket and try to guard the best player on the other team. … The three of us, I think, can carry a ton of that workload.

“I look forward to playing with such a presence in Joel. I don’t think I’ve played with someone at that level and that size that dominates, so I’m really looking forward to what that looks like on the floor. … I know what I’m here to do, and just go out there and do my job.”

One simple way George can fit alongside Embiid and Maxey is taking the catch-and-shoot three-pointers that come his direction and making a good percentage. 

George just had a strong season in that regard; he shot 4.4 catch-and-shoot triples per game with the Clippers and converted 45.4 percent.

“Obviously Tyrese has the youth,” George said. “He has the legs, the speed, the quickness. Similar to when I played alongside Russ — just the opportunities he creates with his speed and his tempo to push the ball. I think I can space the floor for him, and just be a veteran to help him. … I think we just complement each other so well. And the same goes for Joel. I’ve been watching their games and I know it’s tough for him a lot of times to be able to play 1-on-1 from the block, just because of the spacing and the shooters around him. 

“So I’m looking forward to that, giving him a chance to play his game and be aggressive on the block, be able to make quick moves to go score because there is that space there. And just being a late-game performer, someone to take a lot of pressure off both those guys to close games out, to extend leads, to finish games. I’m just looking forward to being on the floor with those two because I know they’ll help me a ton.”

‘Kawhi speaks, you listen’ 

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse has traveled through much of the basketball world. He has connections from the D League, from summer leagues, from his stint leading the Canadian men’s national team. 

Nurse served as an assistant coach on Dwane Casey’s Raptors staff for the 2018 All-Star Game and George came off the bench that night (as did Andre Drummond). But in terms of Nurse and George’s history, that’s apparently about it. 

“It’s a little early,” George said. “We’re still getting to know each other. But the time I’ve been around him, it’s been awesome. One of those people you learn from, from afar. I see how hard his team plays and the respect that players have for him goes a long way. 

“I was a teammate of Kawhi’s and Kawhi spoke highly of him. Kawhi speaks, you listen. I’ve learned that. So I have the utmost respect for Coach Nurse and I’m looking forward to being coached.”

In a separate session with reporters, Nurse said his conversations with George have been “really enjoyable.”

“I think he’s one of probably a dozen guys that I’ve never really come across in coaching him or workouts in the summer or whatever,” he said. “So it’s kind of a fresh start. I’m super impressed by him. He’s a good guy. Very intelligent, knows the game, thoughtful about what he wants out of his team, what he can deliver, who he wants to be and all that stuff. So I’ve been super impressed with him so far.”

Getting accustomed to ‘Brotherly Love’ 

George is also in the early days of learning what Philadelphia is all about. 

Everything’s sunny so far. 

“It’s been a warm welcoming since I’ve been here, from free dinners to good cheesesteaks. … I think everywhere we’ve been is a lot of love,” George said. “You can tell the city is ready and thirsty to win. Already, I’m ready to get to work. Put the hard hat on and go out and try to compete for a championship. It’s been nothing but love since the second we’ve been here.”

And yes, George understands that slumps, losing streaks and underwhelming playoff performances are all subject to criticism with a passionate fan base that hasn’t reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 23 years and hasn’t won an NBA title in 41. 

“At the end of the day, it’s Brotherly Love, right? So I’m looking forward to it,” George said with a smile. “I think pressure is good, I think intensity is good, and that’s what you get up for. You want the fans to be fired up. You want them to put that pressure on you to go out, perform, and win games. 

“That’s our job, so I’m looking forward to it. Be as critical and as hard as you can. I think it’s going to work out for myself and for the team. … I’m not scared or shying away from that at any point, at any stage.”

George not the only move that matters 

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey pursued George largely because he believes top-end talent swings playoff series.

However, as Nurse highlighted, the Sixers didn’t just land George and call it a summer. 

“As excited as we are about some of the things — obviously Paul George headlining — I think a lot of the other moves were super critical,” Nurse said. “For example, Drummond backing up Joel. I think everyone understands that we needed a good veteran guy who can start. If we need him to play some games 40 minutes, 38 minutes, whatever it is, we’ve got a guy who can do it and provide incredible presence around the basket. 

“And then I think we touched a lot of the things we needed to touch. We got a little veteran experience, a little shooting added. We certainly got some dynamic wings in Caleb (Martin) and Kelly (Oubre Jr.) back in there, too. We’ve got Ricky (Council IV) back in the fold, and he just keeps getting better and better. So the PG thing is huge, but I think all those things matter.” 

The Sixers will have 13 players on standard NBA contracts once they sign point guard Reggie Jackson.

Morey indicated that the team intends to fill one of its two open roster slots before the season. 

“I was just talking to Coach Nurse,” Morey said, “and Joel, Paul and Tyrese are our partners in (determining), ‘How do we put together the right group to win this?’ We feel great about the players we’ve brought in. But as folks in Philly know, I always say that a team evolves during a season. As we see things that are needed to address the team, we have draft picks that we could use. We’re going to keep an open roster spot. 

“So as we have injuries or the needs really arise where Coach Nurse sees something we need to do, we’ll address those. And we feel like this is going to be a special season.”

He whizzes past defenders, swishes 28-foot jumpers and rarely looks uncomfortable.

Last summer wasn’t so easy for the the Sixers’ star guard. Instead of signing Maxey to a contract extension, the Sixers decided to hold off in the name of salary-cap flexibility. Maxey played the 2023-24 season — a year in which he became an All-Star, won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, and scored 46 incredible points in a season-saving playoff performance — under his $4.3 million fourth-year option. 

Maxey sat between Sixers managing partner Josh Harris and president of basketball operations Daryl Morey at the Sixers training complex Tuesday after signing a five-year, approximately $204 million new deal. 

“I want to really thank Tyrese for his patience,” Morey said. “This offseason wouldn’t have been possible without him. He was very clearly on his way to being what he has become — an All-Star, a great future star in this league. 

“And by being patient, he allowed us to put this offseason together and really put us in this position to be one of the very few legitimate contenders in the league this year. So I want to make sure we thank Tyrese for that.” 

Morey’s offseason pickups have included Paul George, Caleb Martin, Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon and Reggie Jackson.

“I think it worked out well, honestly,” Maxey said. “When I heard about it last summer, it’s hard. It’s a very hard thing to do, especially when you work extremely hard and tirelessly … to try to get the second contract. … You’ve got to be professional. You’ve got to understand what’s going on. You don’t have many opportunities as a franchise to do something like that, so I understood. 

“I had a lot of conversations with Joel (Embiid) about it last year. I appreciate him for that too, because he was big in helping me with that. It was great. It was more calming the people down in front of me … (family). That was the hardest thing to do, making them understand exactly what it meant, cap space and all the little things. But I’m just happy, man. I’m happy that we were able to do what we did in the offseason.”

At 23 years old, Maxey has already experienced quite a bit of strangeness in the NBA.

As he noted Tuesday, Maxey missed the start of his first professional training camp after testing positive for COVID-19. His breakout 39-point game as a rookie came on a day the Sixers only had seven healthy players available. Ben Simmons’ training camp holdout led to Maxey becoming a starter at the beginning of his second season. Three games into his fourth year, the Sixers traded James Harden to the Clippers.

He’s still much younger than players like George and Kyle Lowry, but it makes sense that the Sixers keep encouraging Maxey to lead and think he’s fully capable of doing so. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse sat in the first row of Tuesday’s press conference, across the aisle from Maxey’s parents. 

“I think the biggest thing that I’ve been talking to (assistant coach Rico Hines) about and Coach Nurse about is being able to drag guys along with me as far as work ethic-wise,” Maxey said. “And I think I’m in a position now where I can kind of help guys. I’ll just use Ricky (Council IV) as an example. I’ve texted him multiple times this summer like, ‘Hey, come to Dallas’ or ‘Come to L.A. and let’s get some work in.’ 

“I think that is something that can go a long way, especially when I’ve been here for … it’s about to be five years, which sounds crazy. But I think that’s going to help. That goes a long way for younger guys. They really appreciate that, and I really appreciated that. So I think that’s one of the biggest things that I’m going to try to do. Coach Nurse and Rico were on me about using my voice more last year and trying to step into that leadership role.

“Joel’s been on me about it: ‘You’ve got to use your voice. You’re working hard every single day. You lead by example, but you’re also good at connecting with guys and encouraging guys.’ I’ve kind of done it all my life, but when I first got here I was just trying to be a sponge and learn as much as possible. I’m still doing that right now, but I think that’s a way I can lead by example.”

In terms of skill development, Maxey mentioned continued work on his mid-range game and “just getting stronger.”

A coach’s son, Maxey would love for his current coach to be happy with him on both ends of the floor. 

“We have a lot of guys on our team right now that are switchable,” he said. “I don’t want to be a guy that’s showing (in pick-and-rolls); I want to switch as well. I think that’ll make Coach Nurse’s job a little easier as well.”

Reggie Jackson plans to join the team after his contract buyout with the Hornets, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news. 

Jackson, 34, played all 82 games last season with the Nuggets and averaged 10.2 points, 3.8 assists and 1.9 rebounds. 

He won an NBA championship as a member of the 2022-23 Nuggets. Before that, Jackson was a teammate of Paul George’s on the Clippers. 

The Sixers also have 38-year-old Kyle Lowry and 35-year-old Eric Gordon as backup guards. They drafted a combo guard much younger than any of those players this year in 20-year-old Duke product Jared McCain.

Once they sign Jackson, the Sixers will have 13 players under standard NBA contracts, which is two below the maximum.

They’ve filled their three two-way contract spots in Justin Edwards, David Jones and Jeff Dowtin Jr. 

This is a developing story. More to come.

Subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts | Youtube Music | Spotify | Stitcher | Art19 | RSS | Watch on YouTube

George, who decided to leave the Clippers and join the Sixers this summer on a four-year, $212 million contract, met with Philadelphia-area reporters at the team’s training complex. His press conference followed Tyrese Maxey’s, which was in the morning.

You can watch George’s Sixers introduction below.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The 23-year-old All-Star guard’s press conference was at the Sixers training complex. New teammate Paul George will be next up at 1 p.m.

You can watch Maxey’s press conference below.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

After squeaking past South Sudan on Saturday, the Americans picked up a 92-88 win over Germany in London.

LeBron James led Team USA with 20 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Joel Embiid was the Americans’ No. 2 scorer, posting 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting in 21 minutes. His eight rebounds and five assists were both team highs.

Embiid jammed quite a few highlights into his final exhibition action. Less than 30 seconds in, he threw a sweet outlet pass to James and the 39-year-old slammed home a reverse dunk.

The winners of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Germany kept the contest close. The Germans were superior in the possession game Monday, committing just seven turnovers and grabbing four more offensive rebounds (14-10).

With Anthony Davis on the bench after being assessed his second foul, Embiid had a strong second-quarter stretch alongside Bam Adebayo. He nimbly snuffed out Isaac Bonga’s attempted dunk, which led to a crowd-thrilling Anthony Edwards slam on the other end.

Lying on the ground after his rejection, Embiid gave a Dikembe Mutombo-esque finger wag.

The Americans held a seven-point halftime lead, but they were relatively sluggish to open the third quarter. Daniel Theis hit a three-pointer to put Germany on top.

Team USA immediately responded and Embiid swished a triple as part of an 8-0 run.

However, Germany surged right back and regained the advantage with Embiid on the bench. 

An Embiid outlet pass initiated another highlight sequence in the fourth quarter. Devin Booker scored an and-one bucket after eye-catching dishes from Embiid and Stephen Curry.

James lifted his game in the fourth quarter and did just about everything for Team USA. He scored 11 points over the final four minutes.

Next up on the Americans’ calendar and first on their Olympic schedule: A matchup against Serbia on Sunday at 11:15 a.m. ET.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Preparing for its Olympic basketball debut, the South Sudanese team was superior for much of the day. JT Thor’s three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining meant the Americans needed someone to provide a clutch bucket.

LeBron James (25 points, seven assists, six rebounds) did just that with a driving layup, giving Team USA a 101-100 edge with eight seconds to go.

Carlik Jones (15 points, 11 assists, 11 rebounds) missed a runner on South Sudan’s final possession. Wenyen Gabriel grabbed the offensive rebound but couldn’t score inside through traffic or draw a foul.

Nothing in the opening stages of the game suggested that such a dramatic finish was coming.

To start the scoring, James cut backdoor and Joel Embiid set him up for a slam. Team USA took a 12-2 lead.

South Sudan then seized control, doing regular damage in transition and capitalizing on the Americans’ 1-for-12 performance in the first half from three-point range.

Former Sixer Marial Shayok led South Sudan with 24 points and six made three-pointers. He hit one over Embiid to cap a 9-1 run.

A fast-break dunk from 17-year-old center Khaman Maluach gave South Sudan the lead. 

Shayok stayed aggressive all game and was clearly not intimidated whatsoever by the level of competition. The 28-year-old wing played in China last season for the Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin.

Back in 2019, the Sixers picked Shayok with the 54th overall pick in the NBA draft. He then signed a two-way contract and averaged 23 points for the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League. After making only four NBA appearances his rookie year, Shayok was waived … and he presumably did not envision crossing paths with Embiid again.

Another notable Sixers-South Sudan connection: Royal Ivey — formerly a Sixers guard, now a Houston Rockets assistant coach — is the team’s head coach. Perhaps his group will be able to make more noise in Paris with its Group C games against Team USA, Serbia and Puerto Rico. Regardless, Saturday’s showing was highly impressive.

On the American side, Embiid remained the starting center and recorded 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting, seven rebounds, two assists and three turnovers in 18 minutes. He began the third quarter on the bench, though. Facing a 14-point halftime deficit, Team USA head coach Steve Kerr decided to shake things up and use a lineup of Derrick White, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis. 

The Americans had better defensive focus and intensity early in the third quarter, although South Sudan responded well to multiple mini-runs. Still, Holiday played tremendous, momentum-shifting defense and Team USA suddenly discovered a much higher gear late in the third.

The Americans exploded for an 18-0 run.

South Sudan stayed very competitive in the fourth quarter, but Team USA did just enough to eke out a fourth consecutive exhibition win.

The Americans’ final pre-Olympics warmup will be Monday at 3 p.m. ET vs. Germany in London. They’ll meet South Sudan in Paris on July 31 at 3 p.m. ET.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

They earned a 96-80 victory over the Spurs, moving to 3-1 in the Las Vegas summer league.

The team’s next step in Vegas is still to be determined. To qualify for the semifinals, the Sixers would need multiple results to break their way. Regardless, they’ll play again Sunday, opponent and start time TBD.

The Sixers got double-digit scoring games from five players vs. the Spurs in Ricky Council IV (20 points), Jeff Dowtin Jr. (17), David Jones (15), Judah Mintz (14) and Keve Aluma (10).

Here are observations on their win over San Antonio:

McCain forcing the issue at times

Jared McCain’s first two shots of the night were encouraging.

The Duke product sunk a corner three-pointer, hit a floater, and helped the Sixers take a 7-0 edge. 

He then missed his next eight field goals, including a few difficult, tightly contested tries. At times, the 20-year-old has appeared to be searching too hard for anything to fall. That’s obviously not conducive to efficient, rhythm-building basketball.

McCain was more passive after halftime and finished 3 for 13 from the field and 2 for 8 from three-point range. Across seven total summer league games, he’s made 26.9 percent of his field goals and 22.9 percent of his threes.

Stellar spurt from Mintz

Mintz was excellent late in the first quarter and posted 10 straight Sixers points. 

Mintz’s personal scoring run ended when he drove into the paint, attracted the Spurs’ attention, and assisted a Max Fielder layup. 

The undrafted rookie guard scored two and-one hoops and shot 6 for 6 at the foul line during his individual burst. He was also bothersome at the top of the Sixers’ zone without taking any serious gambles. Mintz doesn’t have great size — 6-foot-3 with a 6-3.5 wingspan — but he’s read plays well in summer league and had a decent number of pesky moments. The 21-year-old averaged 2.1 steals his sophomore year at Syracuse. 

Offensively, Mintz has been comfortable and crafty inside the arc. Outside shooting improvement would certainly boost his career prospects; Mintz was a 29.1 percent three-point shooter over his two college seasons.

Sixers close it out emphatically

The Sixers’ defensive effort was strong Friday night. Despite going 1 for 11 from three-point range in the first half, the team held a five-point lead.

The Sixers fared better shooting-wise in the third quarter, largely because Jones knocked down three long-range jumpers and tallied 13 points in the period.

The Spurs still grabbed their first lead with just over two minutes left in the third quarter. Jamaree Bouyea (15 points and six steals) led San Antonio’s push for a 4-0 record.

After the Sixers managed to regain the advantage, Council and Dowtin decisively wiped out any chance of a Spurs comeback. Council has kept on slamming in massive dunks throughout summer league.

Dowtin saved his best basketball for the fourth quarter, confidently delivering isolation hoops and ensuring the Sixers won again in Vegas.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

According to the organization’s press release, Williams “died peacefully … surrounded by family” and “the cause of death was complications from viral pneumonia.”

“There is no Orlando Magic without Pat Williams,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a league release. “He was held in such high regard in the basketball community and was a friend to me and so many generations of league executives. Pat was never at a loss for a kind and supportive word and always brought great enthusiasm, energy and optimism to everything he did throughout his more than 50 years in the NBA.

“We express our heartfelt condolences to Pat’s wife, Ruth, their family and the entire Magic organization.”

Born in Philadelphia and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Williams had an extraordinarily colorful, decorated career in professional sports. He served as general manager of the Bulls, Hawks, Sixers and Magic, a franchise he founded with Jimmy Hewitt. In 2012, he received the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

His Sixers teams reached the 1977, 1980 and 1982 NBA Finals. With Moses Malone on board, they won it all in 1983. Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey called Williams “one of the all-time great general managers” in a tweet Wednesday night. 

Williams was on hand in 2023 for the 40th anniversary celebration of the ’82-83 Sixers. 

Before breaking into basketball, Williams caught at Wake Forest and played two seasons for the Miami Marlins, who were then the Philadelphia Phillies’ affiliate in the Florida State League. (Williams happened to be friends growing up with Ruly Carpenter, the Phillies’ owner and president from 1972 to 1981.) 

Williams transitioned from Marlins player to the team’s business manager. He leaned on lessons from always-promoting, open-to-anything MLB owner Bill Veeck.

“I drove up and Bill was sitting there on his porch reading a book,” Williams told The Sports Business Journal in 2013 of his first meeting with Veeck. “His shirt was off and so was his [prosthetic wooden] leg and he greeted me warmly. I left five hours later and it was the start of a 25-year friendship.”

Williams became president of the Spartanburg Phillies and was named The Sporting News’ Minor League Executive of the Year in 1967. He then joined the Sixers as the organization’s business manager, though that stint didn’t last long because Williams accepted the Bulls’ GM job at 29 years old. Former Sixers star Chet Walker helped Chicago win at least 50 games in each of Williams’ last three seasons.

When he came back to Philadelphia, Williams built a contender around superstar Julius Erving and made an enduring, wide-ranging impact with the franchise.

Williams wanted a Sixers theme song and Randy Childress, Terry Rocap and Joe Sherwood composed “Here Come the Sixers,” which fans enjoy hearing after every home victory. 

There was much to Williams beyond the songs and the stars signed. The Magic’s release notes he authored “over 100 books” and “completed 58 marathons from 1996-2011, including the Boston Marathon 13 times.” 

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

On a night in which they shot 40 for 44 at the free throw line (90.9 percent) as a team, the Sixers ground out a 92-90 win over the Timberwolves and improved to 2-1 in the Las Vegas summer league.

Fittingly, the final stretch was stuffed with fouls, including an offensive foul by Minnesota’s Rob Dillingham on Judah Mintz that (debatably) stood after a T-Wolves challenge. Jeff Dowtin Jr. split a pair of free throws to leave the door open for Minnesota, but Daishen Nix fumbled a Dillingham pass and the Timberwolves couldn’t get a shot off before the final buzzer.

Sixers rookie Jared McCain scored 21 points on 5-for-16 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. Nix and Leonard Miller posted 22 points apiece.

Next up for the Sixers is a matchup with the Spurs on Friday night at 8:30 p.m. ET. Here are observations on their second Vegas victory:

Monstrous free throw volume

Entering Tuesday, Rick Council IV’s 11.5 free throw attempts per game led all players in Las Vegas. He took six more in the first quarter vs. Minnesota and made each one. 

As a team, the Sixers went 14 for 14 at the free throw line over the first 7 minutes and 10 seconds. They ended up draining their first 22 foul shots of the game. 

The officials blew tons and tons of whistles for each side, granting minimal leeway for any sort of contact. That sure did not make for an especially fluid or fan-friendly contest … but plenty of players got in-game free throw reps. 

With a 4-for-4 evening at the foul line, Adem Bona moved to 11 for 11 in summer league overall. For a rookie who made 57.3 percent of his foul shots as a UCLA freshman and 69.6 percent as a sophomore, his free throws have looked very good. 

Outside of foul shots, both teams struggled to score efficiently or generate offensive rhythm. The Sixers were 34.8 percent from the floor and 4 for 26 (15.4 percent) from three-point range.

McCain’s confidence intact

McCain missed his first two field goals, but he knocked down a long pull-up jumper and hit four free throws in the first quarter.

Despite going into Tuesday with a 26.6 field goal percentage in summer league action, he continued to play his game and trust his jumper.

The matchup against Dillingham, the eighth pick in the draft, was scrappy and competitive. After stripping the ball from McCain on a drive, Dillingham shoved him and got called for a technical foul. The Kentucky product recorded 10 points on 3-for-10 shooting, seven assists, seven turnovers and six rebounds.

While McCain still couldn’t find a true shooting groove, he had a few tricky finishes inside, including a reverse layup after slipping free along the baseline.

Beyond the numbers, it’s significant that his confidence didn’t appear to be diminished Tuesday.

Sixers eke one out

Bona had a few blunders — moving screens, a missed dunk, an intercepted outlet pass. 

Still, he continued to pursue and contest absolutely everything. Though it doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, Bona had several impressive stops at the rim when he anticipated a drive, elevated high, and kept his arms straight to ensure he wasn’t whistled for a foul. 

However, he did rack up seven fouls over 23 minutes.

The game finally became a tad less halting in the third quarter. Tony Bradley’s fast-break layup capped an 11-1 Sixers run that also featured Council’s first two made field goals and a Justin Edwards dunk.

Although the Sixers broke open a 16-point lead, a drama-free fourth quarter was not in the cards. The Timberwolves capitalized on the Sixers’ frequent sloppiness and pulled ahead on a Nix free throw with a little over two minutes remaining.

Physicality and foul shots were central to the action all night long. In the end, the Sixers won largely because of their collective free throw shooting clinic.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Bryant was born in Philadelphia on October 19, 1954. He played for two years for the La Salle University men’s basketball team from 1973 to 1974 and averaged 20.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.

Bryant then joined the NBA and played for his hometown Philadelphia 76ers from 1975 through 1979. He was a member of the 1976-77 Sixers team that won the Eastern Conference title.

Bryant played for the San Diego Clippers from 1979 to 1982 before spending one season with the Houston Rockets. During his NBA career, Bryant, a 6-foot-9 forward, averaged 8.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He went on to play in Italy and France from 1982 to 1992.

Bryant and his family, including future NBA great Kobe Bryant, then moved to Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, where he coached the women’s varsity basketball team at Akiba Hebrew Academy from 1992 to 1993.

Bryant served as an assistant basketball coach at his alma mater from 1993 to 1996, the year his son Kobe entered the NBA draft after playing for Lower Merion High School.

The elder Bryant remained active in basketball from 2003 to 2015, coaching teams in various leagues, including the WNBA, SlamBall and the BJ League in Japan.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

With the Sixers behind by three points Monday against the Trail Blazers and six seconds left, Jeff Dowtin Jr. made one free throw and missed the second. Keve Aluma chased down the rebound and tossed the ball to McCain, who air balled a game-winning three-point attempt.

The 97-95 defeat dropped the Sixers to 1-1 in the Las Vegas summer league. They’ll face the Timberwolves on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET.

McCain had 11 points on 3-for-16 shooting, seven rebounds and three assists. Ricky Council IV scored 18 points. Dowtin added 17 points and eight assists.

Blazers guard Bryce McGowens made two late free throws to put Portland on top and posted 20 points.

Here are observations on the Sixers’ loss Monday night to the Blazers: 

Still waiting for McCain to heat up  

The Sixers committed three turnovers before getting a field goal up and Portland grabbed a 14-6 lead.

McCain made a corner three-pointer on the Sixers’ first shot and drilled a deep jumper on the team’s penultimate possession of the first quarter. Late in the second, the rookie guard broke free for a triple off a well-executed baseline out-of-bounds play. 

McCain also displayed a bit of his playmaking creativity. He made a brilliant behind-the-back assist to Adem Bona around 7-foot-2 Blazers rookie Donovan Clingan.

Unfortunately, McCain was ice-cold in the second half and appeared to doubt his instincts at times in the fourth quarter. He missed a floater, had a mid-range jumper blocked with 17 seconds remaining, and got whistled for a five-second violation on a sideline out-of-bounds play where tossing a pass to Bona appeared viable.

Through five summer league games, McCain is 17 for 64 from the field (26.6 percent) and 6 for 26 (23.1 percent) from three-point range. He’s bound to trend up soon.

And as Council can attest, it’s better to struggle in July than during the actual NBA season. McCain would obviously love to experience sustained shooting success at some point this summer, though.

Bona vs. Clingan duel

Players don’t foul out in summer league unless they pile up 10 personals. That rule allowed Bona to play the second half after he’d been called for six fouls in the first.

There’s nothing wrong with Bona’s aggression and eagerness to swat shots, but he should be able to decrease his fouling by leaning a little more toward sturdy defense and a little less toward chasing spectacular rejections. He was second in the nation in total fouls last season at UCLA.

Especially when Bona’s in a backup role, the Sixers still shouldn’t mind him being all about constant activity and zealous rim protection. He leaped high to block Clingan’s shot in the third quarter.

The seventh pick in this year’s draft soon slammed in a massive dunk over Bona, but the Sixers’ rookie big man was up for the challenge. He returned the favor with a drive around Clingan and an emphatic dunk of his own.

Bona’s desire to fight fire with fire has been fun to watch this summer. A wholly attacking mindset may not be as effective in the NBA, but it would be absolutely fine if he retains much of that attitude.

Several solid showings

Council jammed in his now-customary summer league reverse slam.

He keeps on creating highlights and earning trips to the foul line (9 for 14 on his free throws Monday). Council swished a jumper from a few feet inside half court as the shot clock dwindled.

The Sixers received a handful of useful contributions around Council and Dowtin.

Judah Mintz (16 points on 5-for-7 shooting) gave the team some quality minutes off the bench and played his best game of the summer so far. During his first stint, Mintz nabbed a steal at the top of the Sixers’ zone and canned an and-one jumper. The former Syracuse guard has a smooth in-between game.

Justin Edwards swooped over for a surprising rejection on Clingan as he posted up against Tony Bradley. He chipped in 12 points and three rebounds, too.

Bradley recorded a team-high four offensive boards, which has always been one of his best areas. In 17 minutes, he also scored six points on 3-for-3 shooting and blocked two shots.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Monday’s contest vs. Australia was significantly better. 

After fouling out in a mere 12 minutes during the Americans’ summer-opening victory over Canada, Embiid posted 10 points, five rebounds and two steals in a 98-92 exhibition win against Australia at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. 

Embiid wasn’t always sharp or in sync with his new teammates, but he looked more comfortable overall with the international game (and committed just one foul this time). 

He saw double teams on every post touch in the first quarter. Embiid mostly made simple, sound decisions out of those situations, though he did commit three turnovers in the game and had a few sloppy plays. 

Just about everyone besides Embiid on Team USA started hot Monday. Anthony Edwards was the brightest star early, posting 11 entertaining first-quarter points on 4-for-4 shooting. 

Embiid, meanwhile, began 0 for 3 from the floor. One of those misses would’ve counted as two points in the NBA; he had a layup knocked off the cylinder just before it dropped. 

The Sixers’ seven-time All-Star big man converted his first field goal late in the second quarter with a trailing, top-of-the-key three-pointer. 

He later powered his way to the hoop against the scrambling Australian defense and scored a twisting and-one layup. Embiid also had several nice moments during his second stint as an imposing rim protector and drop coverage defender. 

Embiid notched another and-one bucket late in the third quarter off of a dish from Jayson Tatum. 

Embiid watched the entire fourth quarter from the bench as head coach Steve Kerr tinkered with various lineups. Team USA was subpar across the board for much of the final period. The Americans’ turnover problems and leaky defense helped the Boomers cut their deficit as low as four points in the closing seconds, but Australia couldn’t pull off a dramatic comeback. 

Team USA’s third of five exhibition games is scheduled for Wednesday at 12 p.m. ET vs. Serbia in Abu Dhabi.

The Americans will play South Sudan on Saturday and face Germany next Monday before heading off to the Paris Olympics. 

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The 41st overall pick in this year’s NBA draft has agreed to sign a four-year, $8 million contract, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported.

The NBA’s second-round pick exception allows teams to sign second-rounders without affecting their salary cap outlook. Under the second-round exception, the final season of a four-year deal is a team option. 

Bona won the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award as a UCLA sophomore and averaged 12.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. 

He’s been outstanding defensively in his first four Sixers summer league appearances, hustling all over the place and hunting blocked shots. Bona’s nine blocks over the Sixers’ three games in Utah led the Salt Lake City summer league. He rejected five more during the team’s win Saturday night against the Pistons in Las Vegas.

“One of the things I would love to show is to be able to do everything defensively — on ball, pick-and-roll, switching,” Bona said at his introductory press conference. “That’s one thing I would love to show my rookie year. … Offensively, to be able to get out in the pick-and-roll and to play fast, which is one of my strengths.” 

The two other centers on the Sixers roster are seven-time All-Star Joel Embiid and exceptional veteran rebounder Andre Drummond.

The 21-year-old Bona believes being Embiid’s teammate will help as he finds what works for him at the NBA level.

“Playing against him, going against him every day is going to be a handful for me,” he said. “And also, it’s going to be a learning process for me. To be able to learn from such an amazing player, it’s really going to be a good step for me in my career.”

Following a 1-2 stay in Salt Lake City, the Sixers notched a 94-81 victory Saturday night over the Pistons.

Ricky Council IV led them with a 24-point, six-rebound outing. No. 5 overall pick Ron Holland II recorded 15 points and seven rebounds for Detroit.

The Sixers’ second game in Vegas will be Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET vs. the Trail Blazers. Here are observations on their win Saturday:

Useful reps for McCain off screens

The Sixers did not have the most encouraging start.

Council let a three-pointer fly on the team’s first possession and air balled it. Jared McCain also came up well short on his first three-point attempt and missed an early contested layup. Detroit jumped out to a 9-2 lead. 

Jeff Dowtin Jr. (18 points, eight assists, five rebounds) remained the Sixers’ main point guard, though McCain brought the ball forward a decent amount in the open floor. He got on the board with a slick left-to-right crossover and driving layup. 

While it hasn’t corresponded with incredible numbers, McCain’s displayed good attacking instincts and skills in transition during summer league. In the second quarter, he pushed the ball ahead, used a drag screen, and drained a pull-up three. 

It will be intriguing to see what strides McCain can make this year as a movement shooter. The Sixers called an after-timeout play for him late in the second quarter, having the 20-year-old curl off of two down screens and receive a pass from Dowtin. McCain’s mid-range jumper went in and out, but the reps navigating around screens should absolutely be helpful for him.

He’s clearly capable of operating off on-ball screens, too. McCain made one of the night’s best plays early in the third quarter when he ran a pick-and-roll with Adem Bona, quickly faked a pass, and kept on driving for a lefty layup. 

McCain’s jump shots still aren’t dropping the way they usually do. He had 11 points on 4-for-14 shooting, six rebounds and two steals.

Where Bona’s at offensively 

Bona (eight points, seven rebounds, five blocks) scored his first Vegas points on a put-back slam.

On the Sixers’ next possession, Bona set a solid pick for Dowtin followed by a “Gortat screen” — sealing his man while also clearing out space for Dowtin’s driving bucket à la Marcin Gortat. 

Refining his pick-and-roll game will be a huge part of Bona’s offensive development. Those sorts of sequences in which he reads the play as it unfolds will be an important aspect. 

Bona has obvious room for improvement overall offensively. He had one rough turnover Saturday when he drove from the left side of the floor, pivoted back, and tossed a pass to no one. His sprint down the floor couldn’t prevent a Daniss Jenkins dunk. 

Defensively, Bona was again hungry to block anything he could and quite effective. He’s up to 14 rejections through four summer league outings.  

Council and Aluma key in the fourth 

As was the case in Salt Lake City, Council wasn’t bashful about putting up threes. 

He had an off night from long range, going 1 for 6 beyond the arc, but Council regularly slashed into the paint and looked to create fouls. He went 9 for 9 at the free throw line. 

Against any competition, foul drawing appears to be one of the top skills in Council’s game. For an NBA role player whose minutes likely won’t be massive at all on most nights next season, it’s a nice way that he can contribute. And it also means that Council’s value hinges a little less on whether his jumpers are falling.

Teams don’t love to see players waste possessions in search of fouls, but it’s typically fair enough when Council plows into the lane and hopes to hear a whistle. He often gets what he’s seeking. 

Council threw down a few more dunks, too.

Keve Aluma continued to give the Sixers efficient, impressive production behind Bona. Sixers summer league head coach Matt Brase opened the fourth quarter with Bona and Aluma together in the frontcourt.

The 25-year-old Aluma posted 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting and eight rebounds. He closed the game out and was excellent in crunch time.

Shortly after sinking a three, Aluma pump faked and drove to the rim for an and-one layup. Great work by a player who spent last season in South Korea. 

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The team has been drawn into East Group A of the NBA Cup, which was known as the in-season tournament last year in its first season. The other East Group A teams are the Knicks (who beat the Sixers in Round 1 of the 2024 playoffs), Magic, Nets and Hornets. 

The Sixers will host the Nets and Knicks and they’ll visit Orlando and Charlotte. Game and broadcast schedules will be announced at a later date.  

To reach the single-elimination quarterfinals, the Sixers will need to either win their group or be the Eastern Conference’s one wild card team. 

Group games will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays early in the season:

• Tuesdays — Nov. 12, Nov. 19, Nov. 26, Dec. 3
• Fridays — Nov. 15, Nov. 22, Nov. 29 

The semifinals (Dec. 14) and championship (Dec. 17) will both be held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. 

During the 2023-24 regular season, the Sixers had the following results against their East Group A opponents: 

• Knicks — 1-3 
• Magic — 3-0
• Nets — 2-2 
• Hornets — 4-0 

Of course, none of those games included Paul George, the Sixers’ biggest signing of a very active offseason.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

KJ Martin has agreed to a two-year, $16 million contract to return to the Sixers, a source confirmed Friday night to NBC Sports Philadelphia. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news. 

Martin will rejoin a team that features several new faces, including Caleb Martin, Paul George, Andre Drummond, Jared McCain and Eric Gordon. 

Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Kelly Oubre Jr., Kyle Lowry and Ricky Council IV will be familiar teammates from last season. 

Acquired from the Clippers as part of the deal that sent James Harden to Los Angeles, Martin appeared in 58 games as a Sixer during the 2023-24 season. He averaged 3.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per contest. Though the 23-year-old was generally outside or on the fringes of head coach Nick Nurse’s rotation, he flashed ability as both a physical, highly athletic forward and nimble small-ball center option. 

“He’s got a unique skill set — underneath the basket, cutting,” Nurse said in February. “He’s obviously a guy we can throw a lob to. We can play some screen-and-roll with him as well as a roller. Because of his athleticism, he can offensive rebound a bit.

“Pretty versatile on defense, too. He can guard a lot of different positions. He’s got great strength and athleticism. He’s kind of a utility guy on offense, depending on who else is out there. But defensively, he’s pretty versatile.”

Since the Sixers had Martin’s Bird rights, they were able to re-sign him for substantially more than a veteran minimum’s salary. They’ll be limited to minimum contracts with subsequent free-agent signings. Martin’s salary of around $8 million this year could theoretically be useful when the Sixers explore potential moves near the trade deadline.

After a season that he described as a “roller coaster,” Martin will hope to prove he’s worthy of rotation minutes under Nurse. 

“Obviously it’s irritating not playing, because I’m just so used to it and I know I can help,” he said at his exit interview. “But at the same time, there’s only so much you can control. I have teammates who are out there busting their ass every day, so the least I can do is go out there and support them as much as I can through the whole process. 

“And the games I did play, I impacted the game as much as I could. Whatever opportunity I did have this season, I feel like I (played) to the best of my ability, did my job, and just really supported my teammates.”

The 38-year-old guard has agreed to return to the Sixers, he announced on his Instagram page Thursday night.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Lowry’s contract is a one-year deal.

Lowry signed with the Sixers after reaching a contract buyout with the Hornets and finally made his Philadelphia debut on Feb. 22. The six-time All-Star appeared in 23 regular-season games for the team and averaged 8.0 points, 4.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds. 

The Villanova product started next to All-Star Tyrese Maxey and immediately focused on mentoring his 23-year-old teammate. 

“He’s been great,” Maxey said on Feb. 27. “I’ve got nothing but appreciation for him. He just comes up to me and gives me little nuggets throughout the game. As soon as he touched down, the first time I saw him, he said, ‘Man, I’m here to help you. Whatever you need, any questions that you have, bring ‘em to me. I’ll be in your ear every single day. I appreciate you allowing me to do that.’

“And I told him I appreciate him helping me, because this is new for me and I’m trying to be the best version of myself to help us win games.” 

It’s never easy to project exactly how players’ games will age in their late 30s, but Lowry helped the Sixers last year with his savvy screening, ability to hold up defensively against much bigger players, and comfort taking important shots. Playing Lowry almost 30 minutes per game again would presumably not be ideal for the Sixers, but De’Anthony Melton’s back injury contributed to him assuming a sizable role last season.

Whatever Lowry’s minutes look like in 2024-25, he’ll have another run in Philadelphia with head coach Nick Nurse and stars Maxey and Joel Embiid.

“It was part of the reason I came here, to be able to be a part of the growth of Tyrese and the growth of Joel,” Lowry told reporters after the Sixers’ season-ending loss to the Knicks. “And watching them and trying to help them as much as I can with the maturation process. The things that these guys have done … Joel playing on one leg. Tyrese … going through ups and downs and finding ways to be successful. 

“As a guy who’s been in the league a long time, I was so happy I got the opportunity to play with these guys and be around them.”

Until bringing back Lowry, the Sixers didn’t have a conventional, veteran point guard under contract behind Maxey for next season. At the moment, the team’s projected starting five is Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., Paul George, Caleb Martin and Embiid.

They’ve also got Lowry, Eric Gordon, Jared McCain, Ricky Council IV, Andre Drummond and Adem Bona. Justin Edwards has signed a two-way contract.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Anthony Davis scored 13 points, Stephen Curry added 12 and the United States opened its tune-up schedule for the Paris Games by topping Canada 86-72 on Wednesday night.

Jrue Holiday scored 11 points and Anthony Davis finished with 10 for the U.S., which has four more exhibitions before getting to France.

RJ Barrett scored 12 points for Canada, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dillon Brooks each had 10.

President Barack Obama was at the game, as were many NBA coaches and dozens of USA Basketball dignitaries in town for the federation’s 50th anniversary celebration. Among them: Jerry Colangelo, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dawn Staley, Lisa Leslie, Teresa Edwards, Swin Cash, Lindsay Whalen and many more.

2024 Paris Olympics Jul 9

These 3 Olympic sports were dropped for the 2024 Games in Paris

2024 Paris Olympics Jul 9

How to watch and stream the US men's national soccer team at the 2024 Olympics

And the total attendance was 20,757, a record for any game at T-Mobile Arena, USA Basketball said.

Cold start

The U.S. was down 11-1 midway through the first quarter, having missed its first six shot attempts. The rest of the half: U.S. 40, Canada 22, and the Americans shot 18 for 28 — 64.3% — in that span. The lead was 41-33 at the break and the Americans stretched it to 69-54 going into the fourth.

It was easy to see where the Americans, who have been together for less than a week, still are figuring things out; there were at least four occasions where simple passes ended up in the first row of seats because someone thought a zig was coming instead of a zag.

Second unit

The second unit for the U.S. — Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum — was particularly impressive. Each of those five players had a plus-minus of plus-10 or better, meaning the U.S. outscored Canada by at least 10 points with them on the floor.

And that’s as it should be. Only the Americans can trot out a lineup of “bench players” at the Olympics, all of them being All-Stars. That fivesome has 21 combined All-Star nods, two NBA champions in Davis and Tatum, and two perennial All-Defense players in Davis and Adebayo. It’s clearly not a typical second unit.

Oh, and remember: The U.S. didn’t have Kevin Durant (calf strain) and Derrick White (not yet with the team) available Wednesday.

For Starters

The first starting lineup of the summer rolled out by U.S. coach Steve Kerr: Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker, LeBron James and Joel Embiid.

It certainly could change going forward. But if last year is any indication, it’s a clear view into Kerr’s thinking right now.

Kerr has cautioned in the past about not reading too much into lineups, especially from the first scrimmage. That said, the first five he had in the first exhibition game last summer going into the World Cup — Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Ingram and Anthony Edwards — were the starters in the tournament opener against New Zealand.

Next Up

The U.S. plays Australia in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Monday.

__

They fell to a 93-85 loss Wednesday night to the Jazz and finished with a 1-2 record in Utah. 

Second-year Jazz guard Keyonte George scored 31 points. Ricky Council IV’s 20 topped the Sixers. 

The Sixers will play their opening game in the Las Vegas summer league Saturday night vs. the Pistons. Here are observations on their defeat to the Jazz:

Council’s slams and triples 

Council hammered home a fast-break dunk in the first quarter. He outdid that effort in the second by essentially passing to himself with a hard slam of the ball off the hardwood right before his liftoff.

Council made back-to-back three-pointers late in the second period and jammed in a third-quarter reverse dunk. 

After a subpar game Tuesday in the Sixers’ defeat to the Grizzlies, Council bounced back well. Overall, he shot 8 for 19 from three-point range in Salt Lake City and went 14 for 16 at the foul line. 

Bradley in the big men mix 

Tony Bradley checked in after about three minutes for his first action of the 2024 summer.

It was interesting to watch the former (non-summer) Sixer battle against young Utah big men Walker Kessler and Kyle Filipowski. He got called for one moving screen, but Bradley set several good ones that freed Sixers guards. Though the 26-year-old didn’t jump out defensively like Adem Bona, his positioning and instincts were solid.

Bradley missed his first layup and had his second rejected. He fared better in the second half, making a short push shot and throwing down a put-back slam. The 26-year-old posted four points, two rebounds and two steals in 12 minutes. 

Bona had a fantastic sequence in the second quarter when he intercepted a lob, sprinted harder than everyone down the floor, and laid the ball in vs. Kessler. 

The rookie’s run in Utah was full of impactful defensive plays. Bona registered nine blocks and five steals over the Sixers’ three contests.

Down game for McCain 

Jared McCain’s shots would simply not drop. He was 1 for 9 from the floor and many of those looks were decent.

Ironically, one of McCain’s tougher attempts fell — a high-arcing flip shot early in the fourth quarter — but nothing else rolled or bounced his way. It happens on occasion for every player; no reason for concern.

The 16th pick in this year’s draft will expect better results in Vegas after tallying 29 total points on 10-for-34 shooting in Salt Lake City. 

McCain’s backcourt mate, Jeff Dowtin Jr., turned in another nice outing with 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting, six assists and one turnover. 

David Jones had a bright first quarter and appeared to focus a tad more on dishing to open teammates. He ended the night with 10 points, four assists, four rebounds and three steals. Jones is not an incredibly swift or explosive athlete, but he does seem to have a serious knack for getting in productive areas. 

For the second straight game, the Sixers were second best in the final minutes. Utah drew regular fouls, Jones missed a layup with 40 seconds left that could’ve cut the Sixers’ deficit to two points, and the Jazz pulled out a home win. On to Las Vegas. 

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

He went from scrapping against Joel Embiid to backing him up in the 2021-22 season. And when Embiid heard this summer that a second Drummond stint with the Sixers might be on the table, he wanted to lock it in. 

“I would talk to him periodically throughout the year,” Drummond said Tuesday afternoon at the Sixers’ training complex in Camden, New Jersey. “Any time he had good games or he was on my mind, I’d check on him. We always stayed in constant communication, so that relationship never died. 

“The moment that he found out there was a possibility I was going to come here, he called me immediately. I respected that; I loved that the most. He FaceTimed me like, ‘Bro, we doing this? What are we doing? What’s happening?’ His excitement overall was truly the pushing factor in me coming here.”

Drummond’s back after being shipped out in the Sixers’ trade for James Harden, then spending a half-season with the Nets and two with the Bulls. 

He decided to sign a two-year, $10 million contract in free agency that has a player option for the 2025-26 season.

“I definitely had a couple of different options I could’ve looked at, but this one made the most sense for me,” he said. “It’s familiar, I know what I’m going to get here, and we have a great team.” 

Along with playing behind Embiid and stepping into the starting center job whenever the seven-time All-Star is sidelined, the Sixers will hope Drummond can address their rebounding woes last season.

The Sixers ranked 26th in defensive rebounding rate during the regular season and second-to-last during the playoffs, according to Cleaning the Glass.

“I think that’s why I’m here — to eliminate a lot of those issues,” Drummond said. “I’m happy to be valued in that sense, to see the bigger picture. Not just be here for the season, but see my skill set for the playoffs. I’m excited for that.”

It is almost impossible to exaggerate Drummond’s consistent rebounding excellence. 

Last year, he topped the NBA in rebounding percentage. He’s No. 1 all time in that statistic. At 30 years old, he’s 33rd in league history in total rebounds (10,671) and 14th in rebounds per game (12.4).

“I pride myself on that,” Drummond said. “I set out for that from my rookie year — to be the best there ever was to do it.

“And I still stand on that to this day: I’m the best rebounder to ever play this game and I’m going to make sure I leave that mark.” 

He’s obviously got a very clear idea of what he’ll provide the Sixers when Embiid heads to the bench.

“Now that I’m back, they know what to expect from me,” Drummond said. “You’re getting a dog. You’re getting exactly what you’re looking for. You’re getting somebody who’s going to put that fight and bring that force, bring that energy each and every night. 

“I don’t back down from anybody and I’m here to put a fire into some people’s ass.”

Jaylen Wells’ put-back floater just before the final horn lifted the Grizzlies to an 87-85 victory.

Wells scored 27 points. Jeff Dowtin Jr. led the Sixers with 18 points and six assists. 

The Sixers’ third and final game in Utah will be Thursday at 9 p.m. ET vs. the Jazz. They’ll begin play in the Las Vegas summer league on Saturday.

Here are observations on their tight loss to Memphis:  

Dowtin the vet surrounded by youngsters  

Following an 0-for-6 game from three-point range in the Sixers’ summer-opening win over the Thunder, Jared McCain broke his long-range ice with two straight fast-break jumpers. Not surprising at all that a player with his shooting ability nailed a pair right away. 

McCain didn’t have the same success from two-point territory, going 3 for 10 from the floor in a 12-point, four-assist performance.

As a team, the Sixers started 5 for 6 from three-point range and took an 18-point lead late in the first quarter. Dowtin went 3 for 4 from beyond the arc on the night and played another good game. 

Credit to the 27-year-old guard for being the quintessential summer league vet — hitting shots, running the offense, and generally decreasing the usual chaos level of July basketball. 

Rookie wing Justin Edwards had a nice evening, too. The one-and-done Kentucky product scored the Sixers’ first five points on a mid-range jumper in transition and a catch-and-shoot three off a McCain drive and kick. Edwards recorded 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

Bona swinging away for blocks 

Adem Bona had a rough moment when he faked a dribble handoff, tried a sneak-attack drive, and got the ball stripped from his hands. Later, the 21-year-old center was whistled for a clear-cut moving screen. Bona won’t be an offensive hub anytime soon, but he’ll hope to develop his decision-making and skills when the ball comes to him at the top of the key. 

His night wasn’t short on positive moments, though. In the second quarter, Bona ran a two-man game with McCain, rolled to the hoop, drew a foul and made both his free throws. He shot 6 for 6 at the foul line.

On the other end, last season’s Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year deterred and altered plenty of shots in the paint. He also blocked five.

Bona will want to curb his fouling a bit in the NBA, but Sixers head coach Nick Nurse — who’s been watching courtside in Utah — endorses his players “taking swings” at blocks. Bona is a big man who will do just that. 

No fourth-quarter magic this time 

Ricky Council IV couldn’t replicate his 29-point performance vs. OKC that featured a 19-point fourth quarter.

The Grizzlies appeared to be focused on limiting his clean looks and Council made some mistakes trying to muscle through tight defense. He was 2 for 9 from the field with four rebounds, three assists and three turnovers.

Like Council, David Jones showed he knows how to draw free throws and grab rebounds. He posted six points, 10 boards and three steals.

Jones racked up 21.8 points per game last year at Memphis, but the rookie is prone to tunnel vision with the ball in his hands. Our very early impression is that he’ll need to be a high-level shooter to open doors for himself in the NBA. Jones took a major leap in that regard during the 2023-24 season, shooting 38 percent from three-point range after converting only 28.4 percent of his triples over his first three years in college.

Keve Aluma was productive again as the Sixers’ backup center and is now 12 for 14 from the floor two games into summer league. Aluma played well for much of the fourth quarter, but he seemed to be fatigued by the middle of the period and committed a bad, out-of-control foul on a corner three by Wells.

McCain came up just short on a go-ahead three-point try of his own with about 70 seconds left. Despite missed jumper after missed jumper, the Sixers’ defensive effort was strong down the stretch. Ultimately, they fell a fraction of a second shy of forcing overtime. 

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The Pistons announced Tuesday that they’ve claimed the 25-year-old big man off waivers. 

The Sixers officially waived Reed three days prior. Waiver claims aren’t common in the NBA, but the Pistons were able to add Reed because they still have cap space. Reed’s contract is non-guaranteed for the next two years and has an approximately $7.7 million salary for the 2024-25 season.

Drafted with the 58th overall pick in 2020, Reed spent his first four NBA seasons as a Sixer and established himself largely through outstanding effort and rebounding. He was the one Sixer to play all 82 of the team’s games last year.

Reed is now teammates again with Tobias Harris, who signed a two-year, $52 million deal in free agency.

Philadelphia 76ers

Caleb Martin Jul 9

Caleb Martin on how he fits in with the city of Philadelphia

Harris is one of the few veterans on a rebuilding Pistons team. Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey and rookie Ron Holland are all 22 years old or younger. In the frontcourt, Jalen Duren is 20 and Isaiah Stewart is 23. 

Detroit’s new head coach is J.B. Bickerstaff, who saw Reed total 21 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks last season across two tight Joel Embiid-less Sixers wins over the Cavs. 

More on the Sixers

3 observations after Council catches fire, Sixers win summer opener

George shares his side of Clippers negotiations, details Sixers’ pitch

Sixers honor Maxey with emotional, elaborate ceremony

Just kidding – but what Nick Castellanos did Tuesday before he and the club kicked off a three-game series against the Dodgers was pretty great.

Castellanos has his own giveaway on July 14, the final game before the All-Star break. It’s a basketball jersey that will be given out to kids ages 14 and under. To help with the promotion of it, they were distributed within the clubhouse before the Phillies took batting practice for the day. Naturally, at least 85% of the team put them on.

Individual player promotional items are always a treat – sometimes you’ll see shirts, bobbleheads, headbands … but the basketball jersey is a definitely a fun spin.

It has Castellanos’ name on the back along with his No. 8. But from when the Phillies first announced the giveaway, there’s now a new athlete in the city who will rep No. 8 on a basketball jersey – Paul George.

In the early stages of NBA free agency, George agreed to a four-year deal bringing him to the Sixers.

And Castellanos had the perfect way to welcome him … by taping over his own name and writing “George” over it.

George even quickly acknowledged it on his Instagram, by tagging the Phillies right fielder:

What a fun way to welcome him to the city.

Subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts | Youtube Music | Spotify | Stitcher | Art19 | RSS | Watch on YouTube

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.