The Philadelphia 76ers are looking to close out their first-round series against the Washington Wizards at Wells Fargo Center Wednesday evening.
There’s a couple of backstories to this Game 5 matchup. First off, star 76ers center Joel Embiid remains out with a torn meniscus in his right knee. There’s no telling when the NBA MVP candidate will be back on the court.
Secondly, Wells Fargo Center in Philly is at 100% capacity for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic halted things around the NBA back in March of 2020.
These were the two backdrops as local hip-hop artist Meek Mill took part in ringing the bell ahead of the game. It was certainly a sight to behold for the Philadelphia 76ers and their fans.
As most of you know, the 34-year-old Mill quickly became an advocate for criminal justice reform back in 2018 after being released from prison in the midst of serving a two-to-four-year sentence for violating his parole. At that point, Mill received support from a ton of big-time sports figures in the city, including Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin.
It just makes too much sense for Mill to be on hand with Wells Fargo Center at 100% capacity for the first time in eons. It’s also pretty cool to see that there’s no capacity restrictions for the game.
Let’s just hope fans in Philadelphia play nice. That’s been an issue around the Association during the 2021 NBA playoffs.
More must-reads: