Category: Philadelphia 76ers Blog

The Philadelphia 76ers have converted guard Jacob Pullen’s contract to a two-way contract, 76ers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo announced today.

And in separate moves, Philadelphia has agreed to terms with guard Andrew Andrews, forward Marc Loving and forward James Webb III.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to sign two players to two-way contracts in addition to the 15-man NBA regular-season roster. A two-way player for the Sixers will provide services to the team’s G League affiliate – the Delaware 87ers – but can spend up to 45 days with the Sixers, not including any time spent with the Sixers prior to the start of Sevens’ training camp or following the conclusion of the Sevens’ regular season. Pullen is the second player that the Sixers have signed to a two-way contract, joining James Michael McAdoo.

Pullen appeared in four preseason games with the Sixers, posting averages of 2.8 points and 1.0 assist in 6.8 minutes per game. He most recently played professionally for BC Khimki of the VTB United League in Russia. Across VTB and Eurocup play, Pullen appeared in 40 games and averaged 10 points and two assists per contest. Since 2011, he has played professionally in Italy, Israel, Spain and Croatia in addition to his most recent season in Russia.

A 6-foot-1-inch guard, Pullen starred at Kansas State from 2007-11, averaging 16 points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals across 135 games (67 starts). As a senior in 2010-11, he posted 20 points and four assists per game as he was named First Team All-Big 12; an honor he also earned as a junior. The Wildcats reached the NCAA Tournament in three of Pullen’s four seasons at the school, including an appearance in the 2010 Elite Eight.

Andrews spent last season playing for Best Balikesir Basketbol Kulubu in the Turkish Basketball Super League. He appeared in 19 games (18 starts) and averaged 14.2 points on .431 shooting along with 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Andrews was undrafted in 2016, following a four-year career at University of Washington, which included 2016 Pac-12 All-Conference First Team honors after leading the league in scoring (20.9 ppg). The Portland, Oregon native spent 2016 training camp with the Charlotte Hornets, appearing in three preseason games.

Loving was undrafted in 2017. He played four seasons at Ohio State University, appearing in 134 games (86 starts) for head coach Thad Matta. For his career, Loving averaged 10.0 points on .419 shooting with 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 25.5 minutes for the Buckeyes. As a junior, he helped Ohio State reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament, earning 2016 All-Big Ten honorable mention honors. Loving is a native of Toledo, Ohio.

Webb III spent the 2016-17 season with the Delaware 87ers of the NBA G League, appearing in 39 games (all starts) averaging 13.1 points on .447 shooting and 9.3 rebounds in 34.8 minutes per contest. The Augusta, Georgia native was on the Sixers 2016 training camp roster, appearing in six preseason games before joining the Sevens for the regular season. Webb III was undrafted 2016 after three standout seasons with the Boise State University basketball program where he was named Mountain West All-Conference First Team as a senior.

The Philadelphia 76ers have waived guard James Blackmon Jr., forward Kris Humphries and center Emeka Okafor, 76ers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo announced today.

Blackmon Jr. originally signed with Philadelphia on Aug. 30 after spending time with the Sixers Summer League teams in Utah and Las Vegas. He appeared in four preseason games and averaged 3.0 points in 5.6 minutes per game.

Humphries and Okafor both signed with the Sixers on Sept. 26. Humphries played in three preseason games, while Okafor appeared in four.

When actually on the court playing basketball, Joel Embiid does awesome things. Here’s NBC Sports Philly reporting:

Joel Embiid didn’t miss a beat.

After being sidelined since Jan. 27 with a torn meniscus, Embiid made his long-awaited preseason debut on Wednesday. He picked up right where he left off from his standout rookie year.

“It felt great,” Embiid said after the Sixers’ 133-114 win over the Nets. “I’m glad I’m back.”

Embiid had 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a block in just under 15 minutes. He shot 4 for 9 from the field and an overwhelming 14 for 18 from the free throw line (see highlights). The center also attempted (and missed) a pair of threes. Even with a monster stat line, Embiid noted he thought his defense should have been stronger.

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The Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to a contract extension with center Joel Embiid, 76ers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo announced today. The new contract extends Embiid through the 2022-23 campaign.

“Since drafting Joel third overall in 2014, he has solidified himself as a pillar in this franchise and to this city,” said Josh Harris, 76ers Managing General Partner. “We have all enjoyed watching the hard work he puts into his game and the commitment he has for our organization. We are excited to further build our foundation around his unique talent and leadership skills, and we look forward to the continued growth of Joel and our team.”

“We’re fortunate to be able to build around a player who possesses such unique, transcendent talent as Joel,” David Blitzer, 76ers Co-Managing General Partner, said. “His rare blend of offensive and defensive prowess, paired with his infectious personality, makes him one of the NBA’s fastest rising global stars. The future of this team is bright and we look forward to having Joel on the floor as a 76er for many years to come.”

“Joel Embiid is a transformative young talent that you rarely come across in our game,” said Colangelo. “Joel is only scratching the surface, but he has all the potential and promise to go down as one of the all-time greats to wear a Sixers jersey. Ownership’s willingness to extend this contract reflects our collective belief in Joel Embiid and a reinforced commitment to building a championship-level basketball program.”

Embiid appeared in 31 games (all starts) in 2016-17, averaging 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.5 blocks in 25 minutes per game. He shot .466 from the field, .367 from three-point range (ranked fourth among all NBA centers, min. 70 attempts) and .783 from the free-throw line. He led all rookies in points, rebounds and blocks per game and his averages in those categories were the highest of any NBA rookie since 2011, when the Clippers’ Blake Griffin earned Rookie of the Year honors.

“I’m so thrilled to be in this position,” said Embiid. “I want to thank ownership, management, the coaches and most of all the fans, for supporting me throughout this whole process. I love this city and I’m so, so, so, so excited to be spending my next five years here and hopefully the rest of my career, God willing. Trust ‘The Process.’”

The Cameroon native scored 20-or-more points 19 times in his rookie season, which led all first-year players. Embiid posted at least 20 points in 10-straight games from December 23 through January 18, as he became the first rookie to score 20-plus in at least 10 consecutive contests since Griffin did so in 14 straight in 2011. The Philadelphia big man is the only player in the shot clock era to average at least 20 points per game while playing less than 26 minutes per contest (min. 30 games played). He scored in double-figures in his first 15 career games and in 30 of his 31 games overall. He was one of six NBA rookies to score at least 10 points in a minimum of 30 games in 2016-17.

The 7-0 center was originally selected by Philadelphia with the third overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft after one season at the University of Kansas. As a freshman, he was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and Second Team All-Big 12.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Richaun Holmes has been diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture in the radial bone of his left wrist. The injury occurred at the 1:37 mark in the third quarter of Friday night’s game vs. Boston.

He will be re-evaluated in approximately three weeks.

The Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to terms with forward Kris Humphries and center Emeka Okafor and signed those players to their training camp roster.

Humphries, a 13-year NBA veteran, has appeared in 800 career games (203 starts) with Utah, Toronto, Dallas, New Jersey/Brooklyn, Boston, Washington, Phoenix and Atlanta. The Minnesota native holds career averages of seven points and five rebounds in 18 minutes per game. He averaged a double-double in consecutive seasons from 2010-12 with the Nets.

Originally selected with the second overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the then-Charlotte Bobcats, following an NCAA Tournament win with UConn, Okafor has played nine NBA seasons. He has competed in 590 career games (584 starts) with Charlotte, New Orleans and Washington and holds career averages of 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks per game.

Training camp will be held from Tuesday, Sept. 26 through Friday, Sept. 29.

Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo announced today that the team has agreed to terms with guard Jacob Pullen.

Pullen most recently played for BC Khimki of the VTB United League in Russia. Across VTB and Eurocup play, Pullen appeared in 40 games and averaged 10 points and two assists per contest. Since 2011, he has played professionally in Italy, Israel, Spain and Croatia in addition to his most recent season in Russia.

A 6-foot-1 guard, Pullen starred at Kansas State from 2007-11, averaging 16 points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals across 135 games (67 starts). As a senior in 2010-11, he posted 20 points and four assists per game as he was named First Team All-Big 12; an honor he also earned as a junior. The Wildcats reached the NCAA Tournament in three of Pullen’s four seasons at the school, including an appearance in the 2010 Elite Eight.