The Bachelor’s Joey Graziadei Rang The Bell At The 76ers Game
As we all know yesterday was Valentine’s Day, and love was in the air. Especially down at the Wells Fargo Center as the Philadelphia 76ers took on the Miami Heat.
Of course, in each home game, there is always a guest bell ringer to start the game, and last night was no different.
The 76ers might have picked the perfect bell ringer for the occasion last night, and one that many people will recognize from television.
Can you guess who?
If not, that’s all right because I am here to tell you who exactly rang the bell anyway!
What goes hand in hand with Valentine’s Day?
A rose.
What goes hand in hand with a rose?
The Bachelor!
That’s right, the 76ers had Joey Graziadei, the new star of The Bachelor on ABC, as the pregame bell ringer last night, and it was a major hit!
Being that we are huge fans of The Bachelor, I was stoked to get to announce Joey to the crowd.
We actually loved the last season, which was called The Golden Bachelor. It featured Gerry Turner, and Susan Noles hailing from Aston, PA. Delco!
Currently, we are sucked into the current season, season 28, which is about halfway through right now!
It’s funny, I get to meet lots of rockstars and athletes with my two jobs, but I was even more excited than normal when I got to meet Joey at the 76ers game last night!
As soon as I got the picture of us pregame, I texted it to my wife right away because I was so excited!
During the game, Joey sat courtside under the visiting team’s basket, took pictures, and chatted with anyone who approached him!
It was almost the perfect night, but too bad the 76ers lost!
Check out the video below of my introduction for Joey. Thanks to Mike Sullivan, the official scorer at home games for the 76ers, for taking the video!
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!
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.
