Rookie Paul Reed Loves the Support From Sixers Fans
A Player doesn't have to be an NBA superstar to earn love and praise from Philadelphia 76ers fans. As long as they work hard, remain themselves, and leave it all out on the court when it's crunch time -- the Sixers' fan base will notice.
Plenty of non-starters in Philly have earned tons of praise over the years for them simply just doing their jobs and being themselves. The best examples from the last few seasons have been former Sixers guard T.J. McConnell and current Sixers reserve, Mike Scott, who had an entire "hive" created for him.
Now, Sixers fans found a new player to praise for all of the little things in two-way rookie, Paul Reed. Back in November, Reed was an NBA Draft prospect out of DePaul waiting for his name to get called well-beyond the first round.
By the time pick No. 58 rolled around, he joined the 76ers. After spending training camp with the 76ers, Reed eventually earned a two-way deal so he could participate in the NBA G League bubble with Philly's affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.
Knowing he was eventually going to make his way back to the team's main roster when the G League season wrapped up, Sixers fans paid close attention to Reed's G League journey in year one. And not only did his tremendous on-court progress interest fans, so did his often-used catchphrase "out the mud," along with his nickname "BBall Paul," which comes from his Twitter handle.
Of course, Reed has noticed the support over the last few months and appreciates everything. “I think the Sixers fans are amazing,” Reed said on Friday after wrapping up practice. “They support. That’s all you ever ask for as a player. Having a fan base behind you, that’s great.”
Philly fans might have a reputation for being hard on their players when things aren't going right, but they also relentlessly support players when it's apparent they just want to work hard and see it all pay off. In this case, Sixers fans will do anything to help Paul Reed get out the mud.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
