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Joe Watson’s Last Game At The Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Game

Author Matty Cord

Over the weekend, I had the chance to attend the 2024 Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Game at the Wells Fargo Center, and I have so much to say about it! I had such a blast!

There were so many Flyers legends in the building ranging from multiple generations, including guys like Eric Lindros and John LeClair.

 

It honestly felt like it was 1975 and I was back at the iconic Spectrum catching a classic Flyers game, and watching the Broad Street Bullies! Well, as close to it as you can possibly get nearly 50 years later in 2024!

Before the 2024 Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Game started, the team honored the 1974-1975 team with a great ceremony on the ice. It was awesome to see some of the legends that brought great joy to the city being honored!

Even better, the ceremony was emceed by Lou Nolan, the legendary public address announcer for the Flyers.

 

Although they honored the 1974-1975 team before the game, only one player from that team played in the actual 2024 Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Game, and that was my good buddy — Joe Watson!

Believe it or not, Joe is actually 80 years old and in between Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Games, Joe has actually skated for the team in seven different decades.

All good things must come to an end at some point though, and the 2024 Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Game was Joe Watson’s last official game.

When Joe came out onto the ice midway through the first period, the building erupted with cheers!

 

Not only that, Joe even earned one of the three stars of the game! Impressive work, Joe!

Also, while this may have been Joe’s last game, it also marked a first in his career.

As I mentioned earlier, Joe has suited up for the Flyers in seven different decades, but in all of this time, he never wore a helmet — until Friday night!

It was strange to see him in a helmet for the first time ever, I have to admit!

Ultimately, the Flyers alumni team defeated the Boston Bruins alumni team by a score of 6-2, thanks to the efforts of Joe and many others.

I was so impressed by Joe’s performance, I decided to go home and read Joe’s book again, and it is full of great stuff. Check it out for yourself, it is called Thundermouth!

Although we won’t see Joe Watson play next year, I am sure he will still be involved somehow!

I can’t wait for next year’s Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Game!

Photos from the event…

More From Matt Cord…

The Inside Look At Joel Embiid's Historic 70 Point Game

I have been doing the public address announcements for the Philadelphia 76ers for almost three decades. I have seen a ton of cool and historic things over the years. With that being said, I’ve never seen what Joel Embiid did last night at the Wells Fargo Center.

I consider it a privilege to be able to announce for the Sixers in Embiid’s era with the team and in the NBA. It is truly amazing.

What he did last night was truly unreal and there are not enough adjectives to describe his performance.

In case you are living under a rock, or had an early night last night, here’s the headline. The reigning MVP set a Sixers franchise record last night with a 70-point game against the San Antonio Spurs.

He broke Wilt Chamberlain’s previous record of 68 points scored in a single game, which Wilt did in 1967.

For those wondering — Yes, Wilt Chamberlain did, in fact, score 100 points before in a single game for a Philadelphia team. But it was actually with the Philadelphia Warriors, not the 76ers.

Anytime you can beat a record held by Wilt Chamberlain, you know you are amongst the all-time greats.

Well, that is exactly what Joel Embiid did last night.

Oh, and if his 70 points were not enough for you, he also checked in with a career-high in rebounds as well with 18 boards.

Talk about a man on a mission.

Last night was already a special night to begin with. Rookie sensation, Victor Wembanyama, took the court for the first time in his career in Philadelphia.

Wemby is a 7’4” center from France. He is the most highly touted rookie since LeBron James. So you know the building had a buzz to start the night.

Then Joel Embiid took the court, and you could just tell by his body language that he was going to dominate.

However, I don’t think anyone in the building could predict just what he was going to do.

Speaking of people in the building, the stars were out to see the game last night, including M Night Shyamalan, Charlie Mack, Brian Westbrook, Duce Staley, Michael Schulson, Michael Rubin, Tyrone and Denise Maxey, the 6th man Alan Horwitz, and Jumaine Jones — who actually rang the bell as well!

I think it is safe to say that they all left impressed.

I know I did — so much so that Good Day Philadelphia is sending a cameraman to the MGK studios to get my reaction!

Congrats to Joel Embiid on a historic night, and I can’t wait to see what he does next!

If they let him play all 48 minutes in one game, I am sure he can break Chamberlain’s record of 100 points one day!

Enjoy the social media reactions and sights on sounds from my perspective last night below!

  • Mo Bamba's Reaction

    Joel Embiid’s teammates are thrilled for the big fella. Mo Bamba took a moment to tweet in support.

  • "Wilt Never Did This?"

    What a quote. I love that he did not know this. Wilt DID do it, just not for the Sixers, per se.

  • The Process Era

    A Process reunion took place after the big moment. No matter how you feel about The Process, this is cool.

  • M. Night Shyamalan's Reaction

    I don’t think M. Night Shyamalan could write a script like last night! Joel was the one who provided the plot twist.

  • John Clark

    Airport Johnny with some thoughts! I always love to see how on top of things John Clark is.

  • LeBron James Reacts

    LEBRON! Yes. LeBron James even tweeted about it. That’s how big-time Joel is.

  • Shams

    What an insane stat. Only nine people have done that in one game. He is truly our MVP.

  • Kevin Durant's Reaction

    Love a good KD reaction! We will likely see more reactions pour in from other NBA players in the coming days.

  • My View Last Night

    I got up close and personal with all the action! I get to most nights, but this one was particularly special.

  • Joel Embiid Breaking The Record

    This was my view last night when he broke the record. I am so lucky to get a front-row seat at amazing moments like this as the PA Announcer for the Sixers.

  • Victor Wembanyama Warming Up

    Little did he know what Joel Embiid was about to do on that court. Little did we all know, actually.

  • Appearing On Good Day Philadelphia

    There was a crazy delay so I got to snap a picture of myself on TV after we wrapped. How cool is that?

  • Matt Cord on Good Day Philadelphia Discussing Joel Embiid

    This was a stellar moment for me! Thanks for having me on, Mike and Alex, and all at Fox 29 Good Day.

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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