Sneak peek: New 76ers owner Joshua Harris
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Sneak peek: New 76ers owner Joshua Harris
First, thanks to everyone who either emailed or Tweeted a question about the 76ers. As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, we're going to do our best to keep things relevant here on Deep Sixer even if the NBA lockout is making it difficult. If you want to follow on Twitter, I'm closing in on 5,000 followers, so you can help in that quest by following here: Deep Sixer. The most popular question asked was about Sixers' guard-forward Evan Turner. Some seemed to have missed this earlier post -- Turner working with Herb Magee -- although some just wanted more, continuing info about the team's No. 2 draft pick in 2010. Check out that post if you missed it, but we'll try to track down ET in the next week or so and get an even more in-depth update on his summer. Also, Sixers point guard Jrue Holiday is back in Philadelphia today.
In Sunday's edition of the Inquirer, we'll be running a long profile of Joshua Harris, who leads the investment group whose purchase of the Sixers is pending approval by the NBA's Board of Governors. Harris declined interview through a spokesman, but we caught up with a number of his long-time friends and also a few former classmates from either Penn's Wharton School or Harvard Business School.
Here are a few quotes; the full story will run on Sunday.
"I think his ease and casualness in the way he does things," said long-time friend Bippy Siegal of Raycliff Investments. "What I mean is, you’ll be sitting and discussing a topic with him and he’ll say, ‘I don’t quite understand that.’ And then in five minutes, not only does he understand it, he knows more about it than you did and you studied it for 10 years. It’s kind of a screwed-up skill to have. And it kind of bums me out."
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"Is this a toy? No. There’s just no way," said Scott Stewart, who attended HBS with Harris. "I can’t see him treating this as a toy. He’s a serious businessman and the way to be successful in this case in the NBA is to win NBA Championships. It’s a very definitive and tangible goal. His seriousness and again his track record of success would lead you to believe that that’s his ambition with the team: not only to win one, but win multiple."
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"We were big fans," said Tony Ignaczak, who attended Wharton undergrad with Harris from 1982-86. "I don’t specifically remember attending Sixers games, because tickets were expensive and as students we didn’t have a lot of money, but we were clearly Philadelphia sports fans and that was a great era for Philadelphia basketball."
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Again, any Sixers questions you want addressed in the coming weeks, please email me at kfagan@phillynews.com or on Twitter @deepsixer3.
--Kate
Each week, Kate will check in from the road and answer fan questions about the Sixers. Click here to ask Kate a question or e-mail her at kfagan@phillynews.com.
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Harold Katz part 2? Nice. Katz won a championship as owner. Comcast won NOTHING.— SouthPhillySam- First, move the team to Alaska (nobody would care o rmiss them here in Philly) and second, Kate, get a better picture...maybe smile or put on a bikini or something.— kelprod2
- If you don't care why leave comment
....and w a bikini in Alaska she definitely wouldn't be smiling.— sclayton81 - Nice kelprod2, sexism is always a really good way to make your point. You truly lack class. — Ckott
- Kelprod- nice to know that you'd rather have the sixers in alaska. i wouldn't want anyone to associate a scumbag like you with the sixers or their fan base. do us a favor and don't speak for philadelphia anymore because there's plenty of people like me who'd be furious if the team left philly. and i guess i can ask this for the millionth time to idiots like you but if you really don't care about the team why are you reading and posting on their website?— 76ers in 2076
- 76ers in 2006....You are it!!! Finally, we have identified the single fan of the Sixers here in the greater Philly area. We knew you would be identfied eventually and thank you for revealing yourself. Now, I suggest you buy an Igloo because the team that absolutely NOBODY cares about is heading to Alaska....take a parka for their home games.— kelprod2
- Great day for Philly. Nobody can call us bumbling idiots anymore. God bless America! God bless Philadelphia! One in the same.— BIGEGLFAN
- Hard for the Sixers to duplicate what the Flyers, Eagles and Phillies have done to improve their teams.— pedge
- kelprod, YOU move to Alaska and this area will be the better for it. Why the heck are you on a 6ers article if you don't care for them. Hope Harris is like crazy Croche and stirs up this town to root for bb like at the start of the millenium.— xing
- The 76ers are the caboose of Philadelphia.— is1531
- Confront the REALITY CHECK and you just might be able to escape it. Right now the 76ers are a team with no direction.— is1531
- Say what you will about the Sixers and it's obvious many of you have, but at least the Sixers can boast an NBA Championship, how many Super Bowls have the Birds won? I'll wait til you find out! :-)— FlyersHockeyBuff
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
