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Former 76ers Guard Has a Message to the Fanbase

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Reign Amurao | Last updated May 6, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Philadelphia 76ers gave T.J. McConnell a chance to live his dream of playing in the NBA after he went undrafted. He played for the Sixers during the first four years of his career and earned the love and respect of the fans.

McConnell hasn't played for Philly since the first four years of his career ended. However, he still has a lot of love for the fanbase even though he's playing for the Indiana Pacers. The 6-foot-1 point guard said Sixer fans approach him from time to time to show their respect.

The veteran guard revealed his real feelings about the Sixers in the latest episode of The Young Man and The Three podcast.

"That crowd. Playing in front of them, it was pretty incredible," McConnell said. "People to this day just walking anywhere, 'We miss you in Philly.' They show a lot of love so I got a lot of love for the fans of Philadelphia for sure."

"Those people embraced me and treated me like one of their own." -- TJ McConnell reflects on his time with the Sixers pic.twitter.com/A8Di4aK2YG
— TheYoungManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree) May 2, 2025

During McConnell's time with the team, he averaged 6.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists. The veteran guard was mostly a reserve player for the first four years of his career. The undrafted player's time with the Sixers helped him become a solid backup point guard.

At that time, the Sixers were forming the team around All-Star big man Joel Embiid. McConnell was part of "The Process," with players like Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler and more. Unfortunately for Philly, they didn't have a notable achievement during their time together.

Now, McConnell is the consistent backup point guard to Tyrese Haliburton with the Pacers. The 33-year-old guard has been with the franchise for six seasons, averaging 8.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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