Sixers' Matisse Thybulle Recalls a Special Moment With Elton Brand
NBA fans tend to know everything about the players and the head coach of their favorite teams, but it's not common to hear as much about the people in the front office, such as the General Manager and President of Basketball Operations.
For the Philadelphia 76ers, fans tend to only think about trades and drafting when discussing General Manager Elton Brand. Not many people tend to think about how important he is in other aspects behind the scenes.
Last Friday, Sixers second-year guard Matisse Thybulle laid out just how important and productive Brand is as a leader behind the scenes as he recalled a feel-good story from last year when he embarked on a strange rookie year.
Earlier in the 2019-2020 NBA season, before COVID-19 turned the world upside down, Thybulle dealt with a knee injury, which sidelined him for a couple of weeks. As you could expect, Thybulle was feeling down about the situation as his solid progress in year one was derailed by an injury. So, in order to keep the spirits high for the young rookie, Elton Brand traveled with the team on a road trip and found ways to connect with the former first-round pick.
"We went to, I want to say Houston, and Elton was on the trip with us, and he hit me up and was like, 'Hey, do you want to get together on one of these days on the trip?'" Thybulle explained. "I was like, 'Yeah, of course, that would be great.' He takes me to an art museum in Houston because he knows I'm interested in photography, and I'm named after a painter..."
"We spent like a couple of hours talking hoops, talking art -- we talked everywhere from Malcolm Gladwell to M. Night Shyamalan to his time at Wharton. It was a really cool experience as a rookie to have the GM kind of pour into me like that. Also, just being hurt and the things that come with that mentally, [he made me] feel like I was still a part of everything. It was pretty cool. It was a special moment for me."
When it comes to professional sports, you tend to hear about some coaches being described as a "players coach." However, it's quite rare to hear about a GM having that kind of description. As Brand has tons of experience as a player in the NBA and on the Sixers, he knows what he has to do to earn that kind of title. And based on Thybulle's story, it seems that Brand is doing an excellent job winning over his players.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
