76ers New Arena Plan Spares Chinatown, But Distrust Remains for Project’s Future

Following multiple years of protest against a new arena for the Philadelphia 76ers near Chinatown, an abrupt about-face has left those in the neighborhood with mixed feelings of relief and distrust.

Business owners, concerned citizens, and residents criticized the 76ers' previous arena proposal, which they said would have threatened Chinatown's cultural identity. Many in the community who called the process noninclusive said they do not trust developers and officials to hear their voices in the future.

“I was very excited. I feel relief,” said Wei Chen, an organizer with the nonprofit Asian Americans United, in an interview with NBC News. “But it was very unexpected. … It was a terrible process, making the community feel more anxious.” 

According to a press release issued by the 76ers, the new arena's location change resulted from an agreement between the team's owner, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, and pro sports company Comcast Spectacor. 

The 76ers and the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team are scheduled to move into a new arena expected to open in 2031 at the current sports complex in South Philadelphia. The companies said they still plan to “invest in the revitalization” of Market East in Center City, the area previously identified for the arena, which sits on the edge of the Fashion District adjacent to Chinatown.

The 76ers did not respond to a request for further comment.

Bubblefish restaurant owner Xu Lin told NBC News he was stunned when he heard about the change in venue but is overjoyed by the news. “It would have destroyed my business," he said, referencing the disruptions from construction if the arena had been built in Center City.

Fariha Khan, co-director of the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania, told NBC News that while the arena's reverse course is a win for Chinatown, it's unclear whether the community's feedback influenced the decision.

“The role that our community organizations played was a significant one. They were so determined, so relentless in making sure that city council and other members of the mayor's office heard their voice,” Khan said. “It was admirable.” 

Looking over at the plushy on the desk next to me, it just feels like we need to unpack something.  Something very serious and vital to our lives as Philadelphians. What in the world is going on with the Sixers' mascots?

We've gathered here today to remember, and probably cringe at, the weird combo of Sixers mascots we've seen over the years. Alright, to be fair, only three Sixers mascots (with some variations) have graced the team. But honestly they just...all super unique in a classically Philly way.

Our beloved 76ers are among eight teams, out of the 23 they started with, to make it through the first decade of the NBA. They clearly have a rich history.

Mascots are a beloved tradition in sports. In the breaks between the action of an intense game, its fun to unwind by watching a guy in a costume do backflips. Many NBA mascots even show off some impressive dunking skills.

The point of a mascot is to be zany, comical, and dynamic. The thing is, sometimes teams just make...really quirky decisions when it comes to choosing the character to represent them. It's hard for the Sixers. They aren't named after an animal, so there goes that easy option. They aren't even named after a type of person, like the Kings, or Cavaliers, for example.

The 76ers are named after a year. 1776. The year the Declaration of Independence was issued. Philly had a huge part in that whole, American Revolution thing. So, logically, the mascot would be like, a founding father or something. But, yeah. Mascots modelled after humans?  Just take Pat Patriot of the New England Patriots in mind. Nightmare fuel.

The Sixers have given three characters a shot in representing them, each of them showing off their own eccentricity.

The first shot at a lasting mascot: Big Shot. A big blue fluffy creature with red hair and comically large sunglasses. Designed a la Gritty, or the Phanatic, as we know today. Basically, Big Shot had huge hips. Some think Big Shot became Gritty after his retirement in 1996. Allegedly he was living in tunnels under the former Spectrum and was trapped when it got torn down in 2010. He was freed by renovations.

Hey Philly...what? Literally who thought of that? Kind of living for it, though.

Any who, Big Shot became the mascot in 1982 and was retired in 1996. He was actually pretty popular, and back in the 2010s when the Sixers were searching for a new muse, Big Shot came back into the conversation. He is not back, though. Oh well. Long Live Big Shot, or should I say... Gritty...? I guess...?

Oh hey, nightmare fuel! Like actually, what was this? Okay, let's relax, actually. Hip Hop is loved by many, and a lot of people were actually sad to see him go. The only thing is, what does a jacked bunny have to do with the 76ers?

That dude could JUMP, man. His name came with the popularity of hip-hop music at the time of his inception in 1998, and because, well, he was a bunny. He had a pretty good run with the team. He marked the shift toward more athletic mascots who could do crazy tricks. His dunks were seriously impressive. You can actually find Hip Hop highlights on YouTube. Classic early-2000s Sixers.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending upon how you feel about him, his time came to an end in 2011. With new ownership of the team came the retirement of the scary bunny. After that, the team simply went without a mascot for years, until our current buddy came onto the scene.

Welcome to the party, Franklin the Dog. As stated before, the team went without a mascot for a few years. A new mascot was unveiled in 2015. There was actually a fan vote where the fans chose between cartoon Ben Franklin, a moose, and Franklin B. Dogg.

The "B" didn't stick, and neither did his original brown fur. Instead, creators chose some bright blue fur for the new guy. He was designed by Raymond Entertainment Group and special effects company Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. We were in good hands with them, because the result was a visually...good-looking mascot.

His name is a nod to the name of the team, calling him Franklin after the founding father Benjamin. Why is he a dog? Because kids think that's cute, I guess. Dogs have pretty much nothing to do with the city or the team, besides the fact that they're cute and people like dogs. So, whatever. He's pretty likable and it seems like he'll last for a while. We'll see, though. Big Shot might come back for his revenge...