The Philadelphia 76ers have grown into a perennial playoff team and championship hopeful. Many would say that at least some of that is down to the work of former general manager Sam Hinkie.
Hinkie’s controversial tenure saw him essentially tear down the Sixers and trade most veteran players, leading to accusations of blatant tanking but also spawning the popular “trust the process” mantra. Hinkie’s strategy ultimately did bear fruit, with the team landing Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid as a result of the draft picks that came out of that era. Hinkie left the organization in 2016, but his fingerprints remain all over the roster, and he is still popular with many fans.
The 76ers hired Daryl Morey, Hinkie’s mentor, as team president in 2020. He has overseen a season that has the Sixers positioned to enter the postseason as the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The success, coupled with the fact that Wells Fargo Center will be allowed to fill to 50 percent capacity for playoff games, has led to a movement to get Hinkie to a playoff game to participate in the team’s pregame bell-ringing ritual.
That movement now has an endorsement from Morey himself.
Hinkie has made clear that he has no plans to ever work in the NBA again. However, maybe he’d be more open to a one-off appearance at a playoff game. There’s no doubt the fans would go nuts.
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