My Niece Gave The Keynote Speech At The Special Olympics Polar Plunge

Over the weekend, I got to participate in one of the cooler events we have in this city, and I got to do it with one of my favorite people in the world! Of course, I am talking about the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania Polar Plunge, and my niece Lily!

The Special Olympics of Pennsylvania’s Polar Plunge took place on Saturday at a very familiar place — Citizens Bank Park.

Lily and I have been participating in Special Olympics of Pennsylvania Polar Plunge for a few years now and it is always a great time, but this year was extra special.

Not only did Lily and I take the plunge together again this year, but Lily was selected to give the keynote speech during the opening ceremony.

I even got to be the one to introduce her to the crowd in the style of my 76ers introductions.

Obviously, it is a big job to be selected to give the keynote speech at an event like this, and I could not think of a better person to be picked for that role than Lily!

It turned out my intuition was right because she absolutely crushed her speech!

I would like to say I was surprised, but I was the furthest thing from it because Lily always crushes it, and the keynote speech at the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania Polar Plunge was no different!

The kid has no fear when it comes to speaking in front of large audiences, and that is saying a lot when it comes to this speech because it was over four pages long!

She didn’t even stumble on her words once! I don’t think I could even do that, and I speak for a living!

Plus, she wrote the whole thing herself. I was very impressed!

It turns out I wasn’t the only one blown away either because Lily received a standing ovation when she was done with the speech!

As for the plunge itself, it goes without saying that it was freezing, but it was all for a great cause that is near and dear to my life!

I am so proud of Lily and can’t wait to return to the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania Polar Plunge next year!

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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