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How Philadelphia 76ers Acknowledged Juneteenth on Friday

Players and employees of the Philadelphia 76ers organization acknowledged Juneteenth on Friday with a series of tweets and statements.
Justin Grasso|
How Philadelphia 76ers Acknowledged Juneteenth on Friday
How Philadelphia 76ers Acknowledged Juneteenth on Friday

On Friday, June 20th, the Philadelphia 76ers did something they typically haven't done in the past. All workers of the team's management group, Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment, were given the day off to reflect and renew their commitment to fostering a culture of respect, diversity, inclusion, and equality on the Juneteenth holiday.

Juneteenth, which is also known as "Freedom Day," remembers the emancipation of the last remaining enslaved African Americans in the Confederacy. With everything going on around the United States of America today, the Sixers and other NBA organizations have come to realize that Juneteenth should be recognized like every other holiday moving forward.

In order to educate fans on the important date, the 76ers' social media team tweeted out a critical graphic offering some quick facts about Juneteenth. Also, a few 76ers players took to Twitter to acknowledge Juneteenth as well. Veteran guard Josh Richardson and veteran forward Tobias Harris sent out some tweets.

Meanwhile, one of the newest 76ers on the team, Glenn Robinson III, told a crucial story of his pertaining to the time he was racially profiled by Police, which the team released on Juneteenth. "My dad helped me get a Porsche Panamera, and I'm driving it back home [on the night I got drafted]," Robinson said.

"My two friends are in the car, all three of us are black, and I ended up getting pulled over." As the officer recognized GRIII because he just got drafted -- the former draft pick out of Michigan wasn't thrilled with the idea of being recognized after getting pulled over as the officer was curious as to "why a black man was in a Porsche."

"There are situations that occur like that every single day for us," Robinson continued. "Waking up as a black man, these are things that we have to think about that we shouldn't. We have to move a certain way -- others don't. That's all we wanna be able to do. When I drive past Police as a black man, you don't feel comfortable -- every one of us, I know. Those are the small details of [how we] shouldn't have to live our life." 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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