Former Philadelphia 76ers wing Matisse Thybulle put together a unique goodbye to his first NBA home. After spending four seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers as their former first-round pick, Thybulle decided to sign a mural that was dedicated to him in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia on the night he was traded.
A little over a week later, the signature is covered — and so is most of Thybulle’s last name on the back of the painted jersey. It's unclear who is responsible.
The owner of “Garage,” a popular bar in Fishtown that features the mural, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that they were planning to change the mural sometime in the near future. While the replacement was not yet decided on, they had planned to keep Thybulle’s signature on it and use it as an opportunity to collect more autographs on the wall over time.
Now that Thybulle’s original signature was covered with a splash of white paint, it threw a wrench in the owner’s plans.
“This is why we can’t have nice things,” said the owner, Jason Evenchik, in a text message to The Inquirer.
Thybulle was traded a couple of weeks ago ahead of the NBA trade deadline. In the weeks leading up to the deadline, Thybulle was a popular name on Philly’s trade block as they looked to not only improve their depth but also get under the luxury tax.
In a four-team trade with the New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets, and the Portland Trail Blazers, the Sixers landed multiple second-round picks, along with the veteran wing Jalen McDaniels, who has replaced Thybulle in the Sixers’ rotation.
Meanwhile, Thybulle will finish the 2022-2023 season with the Trail Blazers before becoming a restricted free agent in the offseason.
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