Former 76ers guard JJ Redick was in the building for James Harden’s home debut Wednesday against the Knicks, joining Dave Pasch in the booth for ESPN. Redick, who spent two of his 15 NBA seasons with the Sixers, was given a warm welcome in his return to Philly, receiving a standing ovation from fans at Wells Fargo Center.
Appreciative of fans’ support, Redick looked back fondly on his time in Philadelphia, calling it “literally the two best years of my career.” Redick, who retired to pursue broadcasting last fall, averaged 17.6 points per game as a Sixer (146 games), well above his career mark of 12.8. The former Duke Blue Devil enjoyed a career year in 2019, helping Philadelphia reach the Eastern Conference semis, where the Sixers would ultimately fall to Toronto in seven games (Kawhi Leonard’s series-ending buzzer-beater remains one of the most crushing defeats in Philly sports history).
Redick’s first game as an ESPN analyst turned out to be a good one with Philadelphia overcoming an early 16-point deficit to win 123-108 in front of a capacity crowd at Wells Fargo. Joel Embiid led the way with a team-high 27 points while Harden fell just short of a triple-double, finishing with 26 points, nine boards and nine assists in 36 minutes of court time. The Sixers are a perfect 3-0 with Harden in the lineup and now sit just two games back of Miami for the Eastern Conference’s top playoff seed with a month and change remaining in the regular season.
Related
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram