The Philadelphia 76ers have people from all walks of life on their roster, and from all corners of the world. The diversity is impressive.
The Philadelphia 76ers, over the past few seasons, have not seen very diverse in the make-up of their roster. For the most part, the team was made up of first-to-third season players, with little to no veterans on the squad.
Additionally, most of the players on the roster were not considered to be truly starter-caliber NBA players.
Going into this 2016-17 season, there is much more diversity. With some free agent signings, the team’s average age has gone up by several years, and the experience on the team is certainly higher than it has been in past years. Finally, things are looking more cohesive and less young.
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At the same time, there is deep diversity on the team in terms of where these players come from, where they were raised, and where their roots are. Really, it’s quite impressive. It’s fitting, America is meant to be a mix of cultures all over the world, and Philadelphia — a location that is important in the country’s birth — has a sports team that brings in people from all over the world.
This isn’t just a benefit that the players have, the team — from a business perspective — will have viewership from all over the world because of the ties to so many different countries.
Croatia
Starting off in Croatia, the Sixers just recently signed Dario Saric to his rookie deal. Saric is a Croatian power forward who has spent the last couple seasons playing in Turkey for the Anadolu Efes after being drafted in 2014. Saric recently led the Croatian mens national team to a win in their Olympic qualifying tournament, which means that Croatia — and the Sixers — will be represented in this summer’s Rio Olympics.
Saric, prior to playing in Turkey, spent time playing for a club in his home country in Croatia.
Turkey
Speaking of the Efes, the Sixers do have solid representation in Istanbul, Turkey. Saric spent the last two seasons playing in that city, and the Sixers also have the draft rights to Furkan Korkmaz, who they selected 26th overall this season. Korkmaz is unlikely to come over this season, but should be over in a few years.
Since Saric and Korkmaz both have had representation in Turkey, there is a solid following to expect from basketball fans in that country.
Cameroon
Joel Embiid was born in Cameroon, and was a skilled athlete in multiple sports growing up in that country. Luc Mbah a Moute, who is a former Sixer himself, discovered Embiid at a basketball camp and brought him over to the United States to work on his skills. Mbah a Moute is a Cameroonian himself, and without that original tie, it’s safe to assume that Embiid would not be a member of the Sixers, let alone a basketball player.
According to Wikipedia, Embiid’s original plans involved playing pro volleyball in Europe.
Canada
Oh, Canada! Nik Stauskas, the shooting guard that the Sixers acquired in last year’s offseason, is Canadian. Nik is certainly not the poster child for Canadian culture, as he never played ice hockey, and has even said that he’s not much of a fan of the sport. Stauskas grew up in Mississauga, which is close to Toronto.
Stauskas grew up as a Raptors fan, and loved basketball from a young age. According to his Wikipedia page, he was a huge Vince Carter fan, and actually got to play him one-on-one at a young age, which boosted his dream of making it into the NBA.
Nik, who has been nicknamed “Sauce Castillo,” stays true to his Toronto-like roots. He’s a huge Drake fan, and works for TSN (basically, the ESPN of Canada) as an analyst during the offseason.
France
With the 24th pick in this year’s draft, the Sixers selected Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. A very likable guy, TLC has already signed his deal with the team and will play this season. There’s some talk of him spending a good chunk of his season with the D-League affiliate Delaware 87ers, but he’s going to be a solid part of the future.
Luwawu was born and raised in France, and played one season professional in France before playing in Serbia, and then coming to America.
There’s plenty of reasons to like TLC, many of which he showed us in summer league. He will work well alongside Simmons and has a solid outside shot.
Nigeria
Although this is not a direct connection, it still is an interesting one. Jahlil Okafor‘s father is, according to Wikipedia, of Nigerian Igbo and African American descent.
Haiti
Similar to Okafor, Nerlens Noel isn’t a direct connect to another country, but was born to Haitian immigrant parents in New England.
Australia
Australia may have the most prevalent connections with the Sixers. First off, the man that does the most talking, head coach Brett Brown, is an Australian. You can tell it in his voice, as he has a very unique and distinct accent that is a blend of Australian and New England.
More recently added to the team was Ben Simmons, this year’s first overall draft pick. Simmons is an Aussie, and one that Brett Brown has known of since he was a child. Brown coached Simmons’ dad when his dad played for the national team in Australia.
Spain
Recently signed to a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers was Sergio Rodriguez, who has spent the last several years playing for Real Madrid in Spain, his home country. Rodriguez came over and started his career in the NBA, but has been working on his game for the last few seasons in Spain.
Rodriguez has several accomplishments of note with the Spanish national team, including a gold and silver medal from different tournaments, according to Wikipedia.