Eagles Star Convinces James Harden to Attend More Games
In this story:
Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden didn’t have much time to get familiar with the City of Brotherly Love last year.
When the 2021-2022 NBA season started, Harden was a member of the Brooklyn Nets after a long stint with the Houston Rockets. Early on last year, Harden’s long-term future in Brooklyn was already in question.
Over halfway through the season, Harden grew disgruntled with the Nets and practically forced his way out. The Sixers, who had a disgruntled star of their own in Ben Simmons, managed to offer the Nets an intriguing deal to swap Harden and Simmons on the day of the trade deadline.
By the time Harden debuted for the Sixers, he had a little over 20 games to become comfortable in his new system. Harden’s first season with the Sixers ended after 21 regular season games and a 12-game playoff run, which concluded in the second round of the postseason.
After declining his player option, Harden re-signed with the Sixers on a team-friendly two-year deal. As he’s set to make his full-season debut with the Sixers next month, Harden is looking to become a regular at other Philly-based sporting events such as Philadelphia Eagles games.
On Monday night, the Eagles hosted the Minnesota Vikings for their first of many matchups in South Philly this season. After a day’s worth of working out at the Sixers’ practice facility, Harden made his way to Lincoln Financial Field to support the Birds.
The 76ers star was a highlight of the show as he received a game ball from Eagles cornerback Darius Slay after he snagged one of his two interceptions on the night.
Following a dominant 24-7 win over the Vikings, the Eagles were met by James Harden in the tunnel on their way back to the locker room. And after the game, Philly’s star defensive lineman Fletcher Cox showed his appreciation toward Harden on Twitter, which convinced the star guard to become a regular at games.
“Appreciate you showing up last night,” Cox tweeted at Harden. “The Linc was crazy!”
The stadium lit up when Harden appeared on the big screen in front of thousands of Eagles fans. As Philly fans love to see the city’s professional athletes supporting one another, it was exciting for the Eagles and Sixers’ shared fans to witness Harden taking in the atmosphere at Lincoln Financial Field.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
