Xfinity Mobile Arena jumped back in time on Saturday as the 76ers honored their iconic 2001 NBA Finals team with a reunion night as part of the franchise’s 25th anniversary celebration.
The vintage 76ers logo, with its retro comet tail, adorned the basketball court. Hip-Hop, the team’s mascot during that era, returned to interact with the crowd, and players and fans alike wore their throwback black jerseys to pay homage.
From special appearances and halftime tributes, here’s what the fans had to say about reunion night:
There’s only one thing — or person — that comes to mind to most fans when they think of the throwback Sixers jerseys.
“I just think of Allen Iverson,” said 23-year-old Robert Phillips. “That’s it.”
Iverson, who was drafted by the 76ers with the first overall pick in 1996, became an immediate fan favorite — representing the grit and toughness of Philadelphia. His stardom has reached generations, including Phillips, who said he grew up watching highlights on YouTube.
“I wasn’t born yet,” Phillips said. “My grandmother was alive and she watched AI’s run and then once we were old enough we went on YouTube and watched AI highlights. When he did that crazy layup in the All-Star Game, I still watch it and I’m like, ‘How are you this acrobatic?’”
The 11-time NBA All-Star had early success, earning Rookie of the Year honors. Iverson eventually led the team to the NBA Finals in 2001 — winning NBA MVP in the process — before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
However, that run is still something Philly fans like to reminisce about. Ishmael Amir, 36, remembers how “electric” it was to be a Sixers fan at the time.
“That team was so Philly, because again, it was a team full of underdogs, and I think that represents the city,“ Amir said. ”Like nobody expected the Sixers to do it. Most people outside of the city can’t name anybody on that team besides AI and maybe [Dikembe] Mutombo. And that’s who we are as a city. … You can count us out. We love when you count us out. And that season it was a great time for us.”
Iverson gave Philly fans many iconic moments, including the step over Tyronn Lue, which became a picture-perfect memory for most fans. However, there are a few unsung heroes from the 2001 team. And former Sixers president Pat Croce commended one of them before Saturday’s game.
“You know Allen Iverson, you know our Bubba Chuck,” Croce said, referring to Iverson’s nickname. “Bubba Chuck wouldn’t be Bubba Chuck without Snowman [Eric Snow]. He watched his back every game. He talked in his ear every game in that locker room. Allen could play the way he did because he had [Snow] watching his back. Eric Snow was an integral part of the championship season.”
Honoring the 2001 team
Snow and Iverson were in attendance for Saturday’s game alongside several other members of the 2001 team, including Rodney Buford, Theo Ratliff, Todd MacCulloch, Jumaine Jones, George Lynch, Croce, and Billy King.
To start the night, Croce was the special guest to ring the bell ahead of the game.
Saturday night, however, belonged to the 76ers’ 2001 Eastern Conference championship team.
Joel Embiid continued to put teams on notice that he’s back to playing at an All-NBA level. And Kelly Oubre Jr. is doing his best to fill the void left by George‘s 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
Those things stood out on an evening where the Sixers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans, 124-114.
The Sixers improved to 27-21 while extending their home winning streak to three games. Embiid finished with 40 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks, while Oubre added 19 points on the first night of Paul George’s suspension.
Not to be outdone, Tyrese Maxey (18 points, eight assists), VJ Edgecombe (15 points, five assists), and Jared McCain (12 points) were the other double-digit scorers against the Pelicans (13-38).
Former Villanova standout Saddiq Bey led New Orleans with 34 points, while Zion Williamson was held to 11.
But the 2000-01 Sixers were the highlight of the evening.
Not only did that squad reach the NBA Finals, but they were also the last Sixers team to advance past the second round of the playoffs.
That gritty team was led by Hall of Famer Allen Iverson and a bunch of defensive-minded blue-collar players. It was a squad that still carries a lot of weight in Philly and across the NBA. And that’s impressive, considering the Los Angeles Lakers ousted them in five games in the NBA Finals.
“I can say I’m not surprised, because we had an iconic run, but we had an iconic player, too [in Iverson],” said Eric Snow, who was that team’s point guard. “And it was different. It was unique, the city and the players. It was such a connection that I can [feel] to this day everywhere I’ve been, and I traveled to other countries, and I’ve been to every state, except two, and I’m always asked about this team.”
That season, Iverson was the league MVP, Aaron McKie was the Sixth Man of the Year, Dikembe Mutombo garnered Defensive Player of the Year, and Larry Brown was the Coach of the Year.
Members of the team were on hand and honored during a halftime celebration. Former Sixers team president Pat Croce and former Sixers mascot Hip Hop were the bell ringers.
The thing that made that Sixers squad special was Brown, a true player’s coach, and the team general manager Billy King assembled around Iverson.
“When you had a talent like Allen, you had to build a team to fit him,” King said. “So I remember talking to Larry quite a bit. Larry had a vision to get him off the ball, get him to two guard, but we needed a bigger guard that could play point guard and defend some of the guards that Allen couldn’t guard.
“And I remember Larry and I talking, and we were saying we were watching Eric, we were in Seattle, and he was the fourth point guard there. And we were like, we think we can beat that.”
Former Sixers guard Allen Iverson talks with former team announcer Marc Zumoff during Saturday’s celebration.
So they acquired Snow from the Seattle SuperSonics on Jan. 18, 1998, in exchange for a second-round pick.
“That’s where it started,” King said. “Then it was like, let’s get George Lynch, because we need somebody that can defend the three. Then the big one was Larry, and I looked, we needed a shot blocker, and it was like we knew Allen and Jerry Stackhouse wasn’t going to fit, and so we kept calling Detroit about Theo [Ratliff].”
The Pistons agreed to the trade, but also wanted the Sixers to take McKie for salary purposes.
So on Dec. 18, 1997, they traded Stackhouse, Eric Montross, and a 2005 second-round pick for Ratliff, McKie, and a 2003 first-round pick.
Former Sixers President Pat Croce jokes with past team mascot Hip-Hop during pregame ceremonies before the Sixers-Pelicans game on Saturday.
Lynch signed with the Sixers as a free agent on Jan. 21, 1999.
“So it was more than building pieces,” King said. “We wanted guys who could play defense. Larry was a guy that I knew from coaching with him that he didn’t care if you could shoot it. He wanted guys that can play defense, and he’d figure out how to score.”
But Ratliff suffered a broken bone in his right wrist, which forced him to miss the 2001 All-Star Game and the remainder of the season.
In need of a standout replacement, the Sixers traded Ratliff along with Toni Kukoč, Nazr Mohammed, and Pepe Sánchez to the Hawks for Mutombo and Roshown McLeod on Feb. 22, 2001.
Former Sixers guard Allen Iverson greets former team president Pat Croce during the 25th anniversary NBA finals team ceremony on Saturday.
Embiid back to dominating
Embiid has made things look easy in the first half, especially as of late.
The 2023 MVP and seven-time All-Star scored 23 of his points on 7-for-17 shooting. Two games prior, Embiid scored 18 of his 29 points in the first quarter.
But none of this has been surprising, as the 7-foot-2 center is getting back to his old self after dealing with two left knee surgeries in the previous two seasons.
Sixers center Joel Embiid drives to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans guard Micah Peavy on Saturday.
Embiid averaged 33.2 points while shooting 50.0% on three-pointers, along with 9.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists in his previous six games. And it was the seventh straight game that he’s scored at least 29 points.
“Honestly, surprising,” Embiid said of his play. “Coming into this year, I thought it was going to be more of a tryout year to me. To me, this year has already been successful, because I feel like coming into the year, it was about figuring out, OK, what’s the schedule? How are we going to do this moving forward? And try to figure out how the knee is going to respond every single day.”
He began the season by taking at least two days off after every game. Now, Embiid can play every other day, and he says everything is going well. That’s why this season is already a success.
“But that doesn’t change my mentality as far as wanting to get better every single day,” he said. “Keep pushing and seeing. … Like I said, it was supposed to be a tryout for next year and moving forward, and how we are going to do this.
“His name hasn’t been mentioned. But I think guys like Simon Rice [the vice president for athletic care for the Sixers], you know, he’s been probably the main guy when it comes to everything. I would say probably everybody gave up on me. He’s the one guy that just kept trying to figure it out … I’m really thankful because he was that one person.”
Embiid scored on putbacks, jumpers, and layups while making it tough for everyone who had the misfortune of guarding him.
At one point in the season, the Sixers appeared to be Maxey’s team. But Embiid is showing that he can still be the franchise player. Fans chanted “MVP … MVP … MVP!” as Embiid attempted foul shots in the closing seconds.
” He’s really good at basketball,” Maxey said. “That’s really good, though. And I’m not trying to be funny. He’s playing the right way, too. He’s getting people involved, rolling. I think the biggest thing right now is his trust level and his teammates.”
Sixers guard Kelly Oubre Jr.,is expected to play a major role with the loss of Paul George due to his suspension.
Oubre’s outing
The biggest question surrounding the Sixers is who’s going step up in George’s absence.
Oubre appears to be the frontrunner to do that. The 6-8 swingman scored his points on 7-for-13 shooting — including making 3 of 7 three-pointers — to go with 10 rebounds and four assists.
This isn’t the first time that Oubre was a force in a game. He scored a season-high 29 points on Nov. 2 against the Brooklyn Nets. He’s also scored at least 18 points on 10 occasions. But he’s been known more for crashing the boards and guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter defender.
He’s sure to get more offensive opportunities with George out. And he’s excited about that.
“But at the end of the day, man, any given night we have a team that people can show up and put points on the board and be key contributors to winning,” Oubre said. “And I just want to be a key contributor to winning, whether you know my role be what it was or what it is, just try to take everything with grace and just take the proper steps to be prepared for anything.
“But at the end of the day, man, I just want to prove that, you know, I’m a valuable piece to this league, and to this team, and you know, that I just continue to show up every day.”
And if he continues to excel, the Sixers may be better suited to weather the storm.
His teammates are confident that he can step in for George.
“We’ve seen it,” Oubre said. “We’ve seen it last year. We’ve seen it the year before. We’ve seen it early this year. He did a really good job early in the season, just kind of playing that role, scoring, rebounding, and defending.
“I think he had 10 rebounds tonight. That’s big time. We’re going to need it, especially filling in for that role. And I have trust in him, because Kelly’s a guy who is not scared of the moment.”
Sixers fans have had a lot to celebrate over the last few weeks, whether it was Tyrese Maxey’s second All-Star nod, VJ Edgecombe’s Rising Star selection, or their backcourt duo gracing the cover of SLAM magazine.
“It’s a beautiful thing,” said 32-year-old Ruben Rivera. “There [are] good things to look forward to as a Sixers fan.”
However, that all changed on Saturday morning when the team suffered a significant blow. The NBA announced that nine-time All-Star Paul George would be suspended 25 games without pay for violating the NBA and National Basketball Players Association anti-drug program.
“So, somebody sent me a meme,” said 40-year-old West Philly native Hoag Davis. “And I thought it was a joke. That’s crazy to me. It was right when I thought the Sixers were about to get it together.”
Earlier this month, Paul George (right, with ball) and Sixers center Joel Embiid (left) combined to score 61 points in a win over the Bucks.
But for other fans, including Robert Phillips, 23, and Xavien Phillips, 20, this felt like a common Philly occurrence.
“That’s the Sixers for you,” Robert said. “We pick up a little traction and we’re doing our thing and something always bad happens to us. We have some sort of bad luck. But, we’re going to pursue through it. That’s how we is. Maxey’s hooping. Embiid’s hooping. The whole team is hooping. So, we should be good.”
That was a common feeling for Philly sports fans who made their way to the Xfinity Mobile Arena to catch Saturday’s game against the Pelicans, especially with George coming off a big game less than a week ago which saw him finish the night with 32 points.
“I mean, it felt like man just one more thing, just as the team’s getting healthy, just as they’re starting to roll,” said 36-year-old Ishmael Amir. “You have Paul George have a big game the other day. So, your hopes are getting high and then you get this news out of the blue. But you get over it. We’ve got the young talent. We’ve got Maxey, who’s an All-Star. We’ve got VJ [Edgecombe]. We’ve got Embiid looking healthy. It’s only 25 games. It gives PG enough time to rest to get fully healthy for a postseason run, so it’s unfortunate, but we’re gonna be back.”
Paul George shared a statement following his 25-game suspension for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program. (via @ShamsCharania) pic.twitter.com/oCHWa0VDhy
George sat out of Saturday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, with the Sixers heading into the game with the Eastern Conference’s sixth-best record. Although Amir believes the 25 games gives George enough time to heal, others believes it’s enough time to negatively impact the season.
“I think it will impact the season from maybe a three-seed to a six-seed,” Rivera said. “It will hurt. There’s no denying. But, we got to be optimistic. If Embiid keeps balling, we’re going to be alright. We still got Maxey. We got to be optimistic.”
Heading into Saturday’s game George was averaging 16 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 27 games. The forward won’t be eligible to play until March 25 in the Sixers game against the Chicago Bulls at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
They’d won two consecutive games Tuesday and Thursday. On Tuesday, Paul George made a record nine three-pointers. On Thursday, the win came thanks to a last-second shot by their best and most popular player, All-Star starter Tyrese Maxey.
They were 26-21 and held the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference, with ammunition on the roster for the trade deadline this coming Thursday.
After last season was lost to injury, and half of this season sputtered through lingering ailments, the Big Three — of Maxey, George, and Joel Embiid — were cooking. With the deadline looming, both Embiid and George, high-mileage thirty-somethings with injury baggage and maximum contracts, finally had played themselves into marketability. The Sixers also finally had assets to trade to augment the current roster, if they wished.
There was even more to feel good about.
On Saturday, the Sixers planned to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 2000-01 team with Allen Iverson that made it to the NBA Finals — which also is the last time the franchise was truly relevant. They are in the 14th year of a scorched-earth rebuild dubbed The Process. However, as Embiid and George gelled with Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe, the Sixers looked like they could make a serious postseason run in an Eastern Conference decimated by injury.
That might still happen, but they’ve hit another roadblock.
On Friday, Josh Harris appeared in the notorious Epstein files as a business associate of sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. While Harris was not implicated in Epstein’s crimes, that’s a hard stench to wash away.
Then, George was suspended 25 games for violating the NBA’s antidrug policy beginning with Saturday night’s game against the visiting New Orleans Pelicans.
It goes without saying that George’s carelessness and selfishness are inexcusable. George told ESPN that he mistakenly took a banned medication to address a mental health concern.
We’re all in favor of addressing mental health, we’re also in favor of telling team doctors about every chemical you put in your body. That’s how you stay available. That’s how you earn that four-year, $211 million contract, the biggest free-agent deal in franchise history.
The Phillies had a similar issue this past season, when reliever José Alvarado was suspended 80 games in the middle of the season, as well as for the entire postseason, for taking an unvetted weight-loss drug last winter. There is simply no excuse.
It’s as if all that losing on purpose — The Process — cursed the team indefinitely.
Since the day Harris bought them in 2011, the Sixers have been an entertaining, if star-crossed, clown show. Much of it has been of their own doing. Following the Andrew Bynum deal in 2012, then the worst trade in Philadelphia history, roster builders Sam Hinkie, Bryan Colangelo, and now Daryl Morey have drafted poorly, have been held hostage by unaccomplished stars, and have hired ill-suited coaches.
Home-grown cornerstone players declined to properly develop: Nerlens Noel and Ben Simmons refused to learn to shoot, while Embiid, moody and undisciplined, refused to mature into the jaw-dropping professional he might have become.
But Noel, who was drafted ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo; Embiid, whom they drafted over Nikola JokićJokic; Jahlil Okafor, whom they drafted over Kristaps Porziņģis; and Simmons, whom they drafted over Jaylen Brown, all were injured almost as soon as they were assigned a jersey number.
By his third season at the helm, Hinkie, brilliant in some aspects, proved unable to manage a franchise. Colangelo turned out to be more than just a nepotistic mis-hire: He and his wife were accused of using burner social media accounts to criticize Sixers players. Yes, you read that correctly. Former coach Doc Rivers so seriously offended Simmons that he forced his way out of town. James Harden did the same thing after Morey, who’d traded for him and extended his contract once, declined to offer Harden the maximum-salary money he believed Morey had promised.
There have been dozens of other rake-stepping incidents by the Sixers. None is more consequential than the Sixers’ aggressive initiative to build a downtown arena, only to pull the rug from the project at the last minute and instead build in South Philly.
That happened about this time last year in the middle of yet another lost season for Embiid, who played just 19 games as he dealt with a knee injury that limited him the previous season, but which did not deter him from a meaningless appearance in the 2024 Olympics. George and Maxey also missed significant time due to injury last season.
The Sixers started to look promising, especially when Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George were on the court tougether.
But, as of this past week, things seemed to be rounding into form for the franchise. The Big Three played together Thursday, and, after a disastrous start to the season when playing together, they improved to 9-8.
Embiid had played in 20 of 27 games, averaging 27.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 32.8 minutes. George played in 27 of 35 games, averaging 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 30.5 minutes.
For the first time since the end of the 2022-23 season, when they squandered a 3-2 lead in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, things looked legitimately promising.
The 76ers’ season, which was starting to take shape, suffered a significant blow Saturday.
The NBA announced that Paul George will be suspended 25 games without pay for violating the terms of the NBA and National Basketball Players Association anti-drug program.
“Over the past few years, I’ve discussed the importance of mental health, and in the course of recently seeking treatment for an issue of my own, I made the mistake of taking an improper medication,” George said in a statement to ESPN. “I take full responsibility for my actions and apologize to the Sixers organization, my teammates, and the Philly fans for my decision-making during this process.
“I am focused on using this time to make sure that my mind and body are in the best condition to help the team when I return.”
Under the suspension, George won’t be eligible to play until the March 25 game against the Chicago Bulls at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The 35-year-old will lose $11.7 million during the suspension.
As a result, the Sixers will receive a $5.8 million tax variance credit.
After the fifth game of his suspension, George will be moved from the active to the suspended list. The Sixers will be able to sign an additional player once he’s on that list.
The Sixers head into Saturday’s home game against the New Orleans Pelicans with the Eastern Conference’s sixth-best record of 26-21.
With George and Joel Embiid healthy, the Sixers were recognized as one of the NBA’s most dangerous teams. They were a squad capable of beating any team on any given night.
The 6-foot-8 forward is averaging 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.5 steals in 27 games this season.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse said before Saturday’s game that he’s spoken to George. Nurse also didn’t say that George didn’t exhibit signs of dealing with mental-health issues this season.
“I’m not gonna share anybody’s mental health issues with anybody, in general,” he said. “I think he’s been fine. Been really fun to coach, a really good teammate, his teammates really like him. I think showing some great leadership, and I think he’s played well, and I think he’s, again, slotted into a situation where he kinda sees OK, Tyrese [Maxey] is going here, and [Joel Embiid]’s coming back, and this is what I need to do, and I think he was doing things at a really high level.”
Prior to this suspension, he was dealing with injuries during his tenure with the Sixers.
George, in his 16th NBA season, missed the first 12 games of the season with left knee injury management. He has yet to be cleared to play in back-to-back games.
Paul George was considered the NBA’s top free agent when he signed with the Sixers.
The Sixers signed George to a four-year, $211.5 million contract in July 2024 to form the Big Three with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
As the NBA’s top free-agent target that summer, his presence was encouraging for a Sixers franchise with championship aspirations.
The six-time All-NBA selection and four-time All-Defensive pick averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in 2023-24 for the Los Angeles Clippers. He shot a career-best 41.3% on three-pointers.
Yet George played in only 41 games last season as a Sixer, hampered by various injuries. His final contest of the season was on March 3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was officially ruled out for the remainder of that season on March 17, the day he received injections in the left adductor muscle in his groin and left knee.
George was expected to return in time for training camp. However, the nine-time All-Star had arthroscopic left knee surgery on July 11. As a result, he missed all four exhibition games and the start of the regular season.
“He’s still part of the team,” Nurse said. “He can’t play the games, but still allowed in the facility. and practices and all that stuff.
“We’re gonna make sure those things continue to happen to get him back, and I just told him listen—as with all our players dealing with this type of stuff—we care about him. We’re here to help him, the organization is, in any way possible, and gotta get through it the best way we can, and then go from there.“
Jeffrey Epstein and Sixers co-owner Josh Harris had an ongoing business relationship that included numerous phone calls and at least one visit to Epstein’s home in Manhattan, according to emails released Friday by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The emails do not contain any indication that Harris was involved with sexual misconduct. The records — buried within the three million documents made public Friday as part of the congressionally ordered release of the Epstein files — shed light on a yearslong correspondence that occurred after Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea for solicitation of prostitution with a minor, but before his 2019 arrest on child sex trafficking charges.
Harris and Epstein moved in similar circles among Wall Street financial brokers. Harris, cofounder of the investment firm Apollo Global Management, exchanged multiple emails and phone calls with Epstein between 2013 and 2016.
Jonathan Rosen, a spokesperson for Harris, noted that many of Epstein’s entreaties over the years went nowhere. He said the Sixers owner “never had an independent relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.”
“Harris sought to prevent Epstein’s attempts to develop a corporate relationship with Apollo,” he said. “As these emails indicate, Harris sought to avoid meeting with Epstein, canceling meetings and having others return his calls.”
Evidence of one meeting between Epstein and Harris was detailed in earlier records released by the DOJ, and first reported by the Daily Pennsylvanian, the student newspaper at the University of Pennsylvania. Harris is an alumnus of Penn’s Wharton School.
Exchanges about this meeting, which have not been previously reported, began with a series of emails between Epstein’s and Harris’ schedulers on plans to meet at Epstein’s home in 2013, along with former Apollo CEO Leon Black and billionaire Marc Rowan, apparently to discuss financial affairs and investments.
“Just reconfirming Leon, Josh and Marc will all go see Jeffrey at his home, 9 East 71st Street between 5th and Madison tomorrow, Tues. Oct. 22nd at 7am for a breakfast meeting,” a scheduler for Epstein wrote in an email from October 2013.
Rowan, a major University of Pennsylvania donor who also chairs the Wharton School’s advisory board, declined to comment.
It is unclear if the 2013 meeting took place. Harris later apologized to Epstein for having “rescheduled on you a few times.”
Correspondence between Harris and Epstein carried on.
Emails from January 2014 then show Epstein’s assistant following up on a request for Harris to pull together a series of organizational documents at Epstein’s request.
A June 2014 email features Epstein describing a proposed $2.4 million payment apparently from Harris to Black’s former executive assistant, Melanie Spinella.
Details surrounding the payment, or if it ever occurred, were not clear.
Later in 2014, Harris’ and Epstein’s schedulers e-mailed yet again to arrange a different visit to Epstein’s home.
This time, Epstein proposed another breakfast, involving Black, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, tech investor Reid Hoffman, and Ron Baron, the founder of Baron Capital.
“Jeffrey Epstein would like to invite Josh to breakfast on Dec. 5th at Jeffrey’s home in NY… Bill Gates will be in attendance. The breakfast will be intimate…less than 6 people,” one email invitation read.
The pair also discussed the meeting directly.
“Sorry i missed you. Crazy week,” Harris wrote to Epstein in November 2014. “U around any time from now to sunday? Whats this Bill Gates thing about? Tks for thinking about me.”
“I thought you might like to schmooze,” wrote Epstein in response, asking Harris to call him. “nothing but fun friday 5th breakfast.”
That meeting does appear to have taken place, based on subsequent emails, with Harris in attendance.
“Did you have fun at breakfast?” Epstein wrote to Harris, about a week after the meeting was scheduled to take place.
“Yes very much,” he responded. “Thank you for inviting me.”
In another typo-laden email, Epstein later bragged to Bank of America president Paul Morris about the breakfast meeting.
“as you might know I had a recent breadkfst at the hosue with ron baron. josh harris, and billgates,” he wrote in January 2015.
In September of that year, Epstein e-mailed Harris again directly asking him to call him about an unspecified issue.
“Any conversation that you prefer to stay between just us. will. its my financial confessional booth for jews,” Epstein wrote.
“Will do Jeff,” Harris responded. “Happy to catch up. Thx.”
Days later, Robert Bodian, managing partner at the Mintz law firm, reached out to Epstein, indicating he was contacting him at “Josh’s request,” apparently regarding a tax issue.
Staff writer Gina Mizell contributed to this article.
The Sixers (26-21) can’t brush this off as just an isolated incident. Over the last 11 games, they’ve ranked last in the league in rebounding at 39.5 per game.
So what is the biggest issue? Effort? Or being undersized?
The Sixers went with a starting lineup centered on Joel Embiid and four perimeter players in four of their last five games, with Kelly Oubre Jr., Paul George, VJ Edgecombe, and Tyrese Maxey alongside the big man.
Embiid is a towering center at 7-foot-2. Oubre and George are both 6-8 forwards who have played shooting guard in previous seasons. Edgecombe is a 6-5 shooting guard, while Maxey, an All-Star starter, is a 6-2 point guard.
The Sixers only have two other rotation players — reserve center Andre Drummond (6-11) and reserve power forward Dominick Barlow (6-9) — taller than Oubre and George.
Sixers forward Paul George (left) and Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe double team Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis during the third quarter on Thursday.
“Well, I think that it’s a few things,” coach Nick Nurse said of the rebounding issue. “Sometimes it’s size and athleticism, whether it’s playing against bigger guys, more athletic, stronger, or whatever. Sometimes it’s just not paying attention to details and getting a body on people.
“And sometimes, I think it’s defense in general. You give a few [rebounds] and the blood’s in the water. Those guys just seem to get cracked up after they get a couple. And they’re just like, ‘Man, this is an easy way to live tonight. I’m going to really focus on that.’”
When that happens, the Sixers must put in more effort, and Nurse must devise a strategy to secure more rebounds.
Against a player like Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis, who is a rebounding machine, the Sixers assigned two players to try to slow him down.
“Those guys were blocking him out in front of them,” Nurse said. “The balls were coming over the head, and got to be somebody else’s.”
The Sixers might also benefit from giving Drummond more playing time.
Despite averaging 8.7 rebounds in 19.6 minutes and leading the Sixers in the category, Drummond didn’t enter Thursday’s game until the start of the fourth quarter. At that point, the Kings (12-37) had a commanding 37-18 rebounding advantage.
Drummond did not play in six of the previous nine games. The Sixers felt 6-8center Adem Bona, an undersized but athletic rim protector, was better suited to back up Embiid in those games.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse looks to solve his team’s rebounding issue.
But due to the growing rebounding disparity, Nurse said he might look at Drummond coming off the bench more moving forward.
“I think that the smaller lineup that we are playing is obviously something to look at as well,” Nurse said. “I think Drummond with big, really big centers like that. [The Kings] played big all night, but they’re also pretty physical. All four of their bigs that they play are physical. And I think that probably called for a Joel, Bona lineup or Drummond, [Jabari] Walker. Just maybe different than what we did [Thursday] because it was difficult to rebound.”
Honoring the 2000-01 team
The Sixers will look to extend their home winning streak to three games on Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans. The game will also be recognized as the 25th anniversary reunion game, celebrating the 2000-01 Eastern Conference championship team.
Members of the team, which lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, will be on hand for several celebrations in their honor.
Sixers star Allen Iverson led his team to the NBA Finals in the 2000-01 season.
“It’ll be great,” George said of the festivities. “Obviously, it’s a tradition here. Being a part of the Sixers family, organization, that group means a lot to the city. It’ll be awesome to kind of share the space, the moment, and play in front of them. We want to represent them the same way that they represented the city.”
Joel Embiid hopes the 76ers take a different approach at the NBA trade deadline.
In recent seasons, they made moves that enabled them to avoid the luxury tax. And there’s a belief around the NBA that they’ll do the same this season. There are also reports that Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the NBA’s foremost stars, is on the outs with the Milwaukee Bucks and might have interest in playing in Philly.
The Sixers (26-21) are $7 million above the allowable threshold to avoid being taxed. They’re also around $1 million away from being a first-apron team and facing penalties.
Quentin Grimes ($8.7 million), Kelly Oubre Jr. ($8.3 million), and Andre Drummond ($5 million) have expiring contracts that could help avoid paying the threshold tax. The problem is, all three players are major contributors to the Eastern Conference’s sixth-place team.
Oubre is the starting small forward and the team’s X-Factor.
Grimes is the sixth man and one of the squad’s best three-point shooters. The shooting guard has a no-trade clause, giving him full veto power over any deal.
In addition to the Big Three of Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey, this might be the deepest Sixers squad since the 2018-19 season, when they had Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, and JJ Redick in the starting lineup.
“We’ve been ducking the tax the last couple of years,” Embiid said. “So hopefully we keep the same team. I love all of the guys that are here. I think we got a shot.
“I don’t know what [the front office is] going to do. But I hope that we get a chance to go out there and compete because we got a good group of guys in this locker room, and the vibes are great.”
The Sixers are three games out of second place with 35 games remaining. They have winning records against the second-place New York Knicks and the third-place Boston Celtics. And they tied the season series with the fourth-place Toronto Raptors.
Now that Embiid and Paul George are healthy, the Sixers could be one of the NBA’s most dangerous teams.
Embiid, the 2023 league MVP, finished with 37 points, five rebounds, and eight assists in Thursday’s 113-111 victory over the Sacramento Kings at Xfinity Mobile Arena. It marked the fifth time that he’s scored at least 30 points in his last six games. George finished with 15 points, five assists, and two steals vs. the Kings (12-37). The nine-time All-Star is finding his groove in his role as a facilitator and defender.
Sixers forward Paul George (left) and Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe double team Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis during the third quarter on Thursday.
Tyrese Maxey, an All-Star starter, had a game-high 40 points on Thursday. It was his fifth 40-point performance of the season. And the point guard is third in the league in scoring at 29.4 points per game.
In addition to the Big Three of Embiid, George, and Maxey, this might be the deepest Sixers squad since the 2018-19 season, when they had Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, and JJ Redick in the starting lineup.
“Like I said in the past, we’ve been ducking the tax,” Embiid said. “So hopefully, we think about improving, because I believe we have a chance.”
Gumienny, who grew up in Port Richmond cheering on the Polish American String Band and has been the chief operating officer for the Eagles since 2023, called Sam Regalbuto, president of the String Band Association, on New Year’s Day to see if a makeup event would be possible. It would, but the string bands needed an outdoor venue to host their competition.
“I was like, ‘Wow, we have probably the biggest and most well-known outside venue in Philadelphia,” Gumienny said.
Gumienny and the Eagles were able to offer Lincoln Financial Field to host the 2026 String Band Spectacular. The event, which is open to the public, will begin at 2 p.m. at the Linc on Saturday.
Julianna Bonilla (middle) and Stanley Wells (right) kiss after being officially married by Hegeman String Band captain Kelliann Gallagher (left) during this year’s Mummers Parade.
The show will give the string bands an opportunity to perform their four-and-a-half minute shows in front of judges and compete.
“They’ve been preparing all year,” Gumienny said. “They prepare 12 months to perform this on New Year’s Day. It’s a Philadelphia tradition. So we try to make sure that they can take everything that they’ve practiced all year and show off.”
When Gumienny let the Eagles’ neighbors in the South Philly sports complex know that the Linc would be hosting the string bands, the other teams were eager to help. The Phillies, Flyers, and Sixers all made financial contributions to help stage Saturday’s show, and the Union chipped in from Chester to help cover some costs.
“The other sports teams were like, ‘How can we contribute? How can we be a part of it?’” Gumienny said. “There are costs associated, obviously, with doing this. … A lot of people don’t understand all the costs that go on behind the scenes. And, obviously, the string bands [are] on, call it a tight budget. So we wanted to do whatever we can.”
The bands will perform on a stage on the Eagles sideline. The string bands will play toward the crowd, which will be seated in the lower level on the western side of the stadium. Gumienny said he’s estimating between 8,000 and 10,000 spectators will come to the Linc for the showcase, despite the cold weather in the forecast.
However, one of the 14 bands, Avalon String Band, said it is withdrawing from the event due to the weather. It is unclear if others will join them.
“With extreme cold predicted for this weekend, our top priority is the health and safety of our members, and the forecasted conditions may put them at risk,” the band posted on Facebook.
“I think it just highlights Philadelphia,” Gumienny said. “The spirit of Philadelphia, the pride of Philadelphia, the passion … The pride and passion of Philadelphia always shines, and I think things like the Eagles, our local sports teams, are always highlighted in this. And then, obviously, things like the Mummers parade that really coincide with what Philadelphia is.”
Former Eagles center Jason Kelce pauses during his colorful Super Bowl parade speech on the Art Museum steps while dressed in Mummers attire.
While all 14 string bands were able to march during the parade on New Year’s Day, the weather forced them to abandon their planned routines, and sent five people to the hospital. The postponement was the first in the parade’s 125-year history. Saturday’s event will give the bands an opportunity to show off their originally planned routines, which take months of planning and preparation.
“I’ve had a member of the Quaker City String Band reach out and just say, ‘Look, thank you so much, we put a lot of hard work in to do this, and to be able to showcase it at the stadium is awesome,’” Gumienny said. “It’s been super positive, and they’ve been super appreciative and such a good partner to work with. For us and our staff, we get to do something a little bit new and unique to us. But anything that shows off Philadelphia and shows off the stadium, we love it.”
For Gumienny, the chance to host the string bands is personal, too. In addition to his fond childhood memories of enjoying Port Richmond’s Polish American String Band, his late father-in-law was a captain of the Harrowgate String Band.
“Back as a little kid, I used to remember either going down to the parade or watching it on TV,” Gumienny said. “It doesn’t get much more Philly than the Mummers.”
Spectators looking to attend the String Band Spectacular can purchase general admission tickets through Ticketmaster. The event will be broadcast by WFMZ-TV, the same channel that broadcasts the parade on New Year’s Day.
And in the end, the Sixers did manage to win consecutive games at Xfinity Mobile Arena for the first time in over a month.
Those three things stood out in their 113-111 victory in front of 18,608.
Avoiding disaster
Maxey and Embiid reentered the game with the Sixers (26-21) down, 100-92, with 8 minutes, 13 seconds remaining.
Zach LaVine scored on a three-point play to put the Kings (12-37) up 11 points with 7:44 left.
That’s when Maxey and Embiid combined to score the Sixers’ final 21 points to avoid a loss to the Kings, a team that is now tied for the NBA’s worst record.
Maxey capped the scoring barrage with a layup to put the Sixers up two points with 1.3 seconds left. He was also fouled on the play, but intentionally missed the free throw. And the Sixers escaped with the two-point victory after LaVine misfired on a heave with 0.3 left.
Maxey finished with a game-high 40 points, with 11 coming in the fourth quarter. Embiid scored 10 of his 37 points in the final quarter. Each player had eight assists.
“Well, I think that’s kind of what you fear a little bit going into this game happened,” coach Nick Nurse said. “I think we are pretty lucky, to be honest with you, that we got out of there with a W.
“I mean, you know, it’s like not very good on the glass, not very good in transition, not very good on defense. And they just started building confidence, right?”
Sixers center Joel Embiid reacts after guard Tyrese Maxey made the game-winning basket against the Kings.
The Sixers were outrebounded, 46-24, only had three transition points, and gave up 54.2% shooting to a struggling team playing without Malik Monk (right ankle soreness), Keegan Murray (sprained left ankle), and Russell Westbrook (right foot soreness).
The Sixers have a habit of playing down to struggling opponents, which has led to a few embarrassing losses. While they expected Thursday night to be different, it was much of the same against a Sacramento squad that had lost six straight entering the game.
Sixers forward Paul George (left) and Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe double team Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis.
“We did a good job,” Maxey said. “We played kind of resilient. We knew we had to go in there and make a run, quick, and we did that.”
Maxey was asked if he agreed with Nurse that the Sixers were lucky.
“I feel like sometimes you got to be lucky,” he said. “It happens. It’s 82 games in the season. We didn’t play great by no stretch of the imagination. But we are going to take the W. I’d rather win the game and learn the lessons after than lose it.”
But Embiid didn’t see it as a lucky victory. He thinks the Kings are better than their record.
“They got a lot of talent,” Embiid said. “You look at DeMar [DeRozan], Zach, [Domantas] Sabonis. I mean, those are great players. They have a bunch of others. So they haven’t been healthy all season. So I think they are better than whatever their record says.
“But I think this is luck. Obviously, this is the NBA. Every team has NBA players.”
Two hours before the game started, arena employees were discussing the possibility of Antetokounmpo coming to Philly.
Right before tip-off, a fan asked if it would be wise to include VJ Edgecombe in a package to acquire Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks. The Stein Line reported that the Sixers never contacted the Bucks about a possible deal for the two-time All-Star. However, the report said the possibility of playing with Maxey has the Sixers on Antetokounmpo’s radar.
The problem is, aside from Maxey and Edgecombe, the Sixers don’t have the assets to acquire a player of Antetokounmpo’s caliber. And they’re not trading either of those guys.
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe reaches for a loose ball as Sacramento Kings guard Dennis Schroder looks on.
Plus, despite his love for Maxey, the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Minnesota Timberwolves have emerged as the preferred destinations for the superstar. Yet that didn’t stop the infatuation with acquiring the nine-time All-NBA selection from taking much of the shine off Thursday’s game.
Back-to-back home wins
With their second straight home win, the Sixers improved to 14-13 at home. The last time they won consecutive home games was against the Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 12 and Dec. 20, respectively.
“No disrespect to them because they really do have good players and they played well tonight,” Nurse said of the Kings. “Again, I just didn’t like a lot of our defensive mentality and our rebounding mentality. I think it really let them hang around.
“So I wouldn’t say that was a great game for us. It’s a line drive in the box score, and it’s a W. So we’ll take it. But I think we got another similar team coming in on Saturday.”
The New Orleans Pelicans, who are 12-27 and tied with the Kings for the NBA’s worst record, are Saturday’s opponents.
“It feels like a long time,” Maxey said of getting consecutive home victories. “But that’s an achievement, man. We struggled at home, and we are trying to get better … We are just going to keep trying to get better.”
