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I Remember When NBA Draft Selectee Dereck Lively II Was Born

Author Matty Cord

Last night the NBA Draft was held in Brooklyn, New York, at the Barclays Center, the home of the Brooklyn Nets, and many young men saw their dreams come true as they were selected to play for various NBA teams – just not the Philadelphia 76ers as we did not have a selection this year.

Among the many players drafted last night, there were a few players with local ties and a few people there with personal ties to myself!

First, let’s start with Cam Whitmore, a highly touted player that played his one year of college basketball at the national powerhouse and Big 5 member, Villanova.

Though, I am sure last night was a little bittersweet for him as he saw himself falling way deeper into the draft than many thought heading into the night.

He was a projected top-five pick most of the year and no later than a top-10 pick heading into the draft yesterday, but he ended up slipping all the way to the twentieth pick where he was selected by the Houston Rockets.

I am sure he will play with a chip on his shoulder after that.

The second player with local ties was Duke’s Dereck Lively II, who grew up in Philadelphia and played his high school ball at the Westtown School.

He was selected 12th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder who were making the pick for the Dallas Mavericks after completing a trade.

The crazy thing about him getting selected last night was that I actually remember when he was born back in 2004 because his mom, Kathy, used to work with me for the Sixers!

The main picture for this article is actually of us both during the 2001 NBA Finals!

I remember we all said back then that he was a huge baby, but I am not sure any of us thought he would grow to be over seven feet tall and become an NBA player!

So, congratulations to both Dereck and Kathy, and here’s to a long career!

Oh, and I can’t forget, the best in-arena host in all of sports hosted the entire draft on-site, my man, Christian Crosby!

That guy is everywhere, Sixers games, the NBA All-Star Game, and the NBA Draft!

Does he even have an offseason?!

Check out some cool pictures and videos on his Instagram, here!

Anyway, congratulations to all the players drafted last night and I look forward to seeing you all come into the Wells Fargo Center, playing a great game, but ultimately leaving with a loss to the Sixers!

More from Matt Cord…

Visiting the C&D Canal Bike Trail is a Must Do This Summer

As we all know, Sunday was Father’s Day and I am sure a lot of you guys all got together with your dads and maybe barbecued, enjoyed a nice cold adult beverage or two, and maybe even enjoyed the final round of this year’s U.S. Open, but I did something a little different!

I actually went on a really fun 30-mile bike ride with the girlfriend, my good friend Chris Bozzi, and his 85-year-old dad, Nick!

Can you believe it?

Going on a 30-mile bike ride at the age of 85 years old? It was incredible!

We drove down to Delaware City and rode a beautiful trail called the C&D Canal Bike Trail.

It really is just a gorgeous bike trail that rides along the Delaware Canal and even stretches over multiple states as it starts in Delaware City, Delaware, and ends in Chesapeake City, Maryland.

In total, it stretches 30 miles from one end to the other and back again, and that seems like a lot when you say it out loud, but the trail is so scenic you almost lose track of time and the distance you are going to begin with, to be honest.

Plus, the best part about the trail, especially if you work up an appetite on your ride or walk, is that there is a nice restaurant and bar at the halfway point called Schaefer’s Restaurant & Canal Bar, and you better believe we stopped there for a great lunch on our ride!

The trail was great, the lunch was even better, and you could not have asked for better weather on Sunday, so ultimately it was a great day – so much so that I figured I would share a bunch of photos and a video for you all to enjoy as well!

Take a look at them below!

  • The Three Guys

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  • This Could Be a Movie Poster, Right?

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  • Pattyann, Myself, Chris, and Nick

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  • Pattyann By the Water

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  • Map of the Trail

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  • Follow the Red Brick Road

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  • Into the Woods

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  • Fork in the Road

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  • Along the Water

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  • The Big Blue Bridge

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  • Another Bridge

    ..

  • Welcome to Maryland

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  • Schaefer's Restaurant & Canal Bar

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  • Outside Schaefer's

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  • Look at that Boat!

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  • Now Look at it Go!

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  • Video While Riding the Trail

Matt Cord is the host of the Matt Cord Show. He is a lover of all Philly Sports and has been the voice of the Sixers for 27 years and NBA2K for the past 4 years. As a cyclist enthusiast, Matt writes about his adventures all throughout the city.

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