I hate the Philadelphia 76ers

I hate the Philadelphia 76ers. Not the brand or the logo, that I'll always love. I hate this iteration of the franchise. The 76ers led by Joshua Harris, David Blitzer, Scott O'Neil, Brett Brown, Elton Brand, and Bryan Colangelo's staffers who are somehow still hanging around.

I hate that Joshua Harris allowed Adam Silver to make him force out Sam Hinkie when the Sixers broke no rules and did nothing wrong.

I hate how Harris allowed Jerry Colangelo to hire his incompetent son as GM.

I hate how Bryan Colangelo said he would bring credibility and connections to the front office and they couldn't lure any big name players to the organization.

I hate how they rushed their rebuild because they got tired of sticking with a plan they chose to enact in the first place.

I hate how they sell 2nd round picks every year.

I hate how they traded up for Markelle Fultz.

I hate how they forced Hinkie into drafting Jahlil Okafor.

I hate how every single year they always botch an injury situation with one of their key players.

I hate how they allowed Joel Embiid to play a game with a bone bruise and meniscus tear because it was on national TV.

I hate how they got a once in a lifetime mulligan from the sports gods in BurnerGate, and instead of using that gift to right a wrong, they waited 2 months to hire a GM, went into the draft and free agency without a GM, and then hired a dude from the Delaware Blue Coats with zero NBA GM experience... when they had the most coveted GM job in sports.

I hate how they took Zhaire Smith(or Bridges) over Michael Porter Jr. and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

I hate how they arrogantly allowed themselves to wait for LeBron James in free agency 2018 when the basketball world knew he was going to sign with the Lakers.

I hate how they overpaid in trade compensation for Tobias Harris, to give them the rights to have to overpay him monetarily in the summer of 2019.

I hate how they gave a declining big man who is a backup center a mega contract.

I hate how they traded for Jimmy Butler, who was their best scorer and shot creator from the guard/wing position since Allen Iverson, only to not want to bring him back after coming one bucket away from beating the NBA champion Toronto Raptors.

I hate how they decided to build a 90's era roster with no shooting or shot creation in the summer of 2019.

I hate how they always get duped by Danny Ainge in trades no matter who is GM.

I hate how they always manage to find a way to alienate their best player.

I hate how Joshua Harris also owns the New Jersey Devils.

I hate how Joshua Harris talks.

I hate the way Joshua Harris looks.

I hate Scott O'Neil's stupid overly gelled hair style.

I hate how they always made Brett Brown answer for the injury situations instead of sending front office people out there to do it.

I hate how they got rid of the red Sixers jerseys alternates they introduced a handful of years ago.

I hate how they blew confetti prematurely like a bunch of amateurs against the Celtics.

But here's what I hate most of all. When most parents raise their children, they teach us to hate the usual stuff. Rapists, murderers, child abusers, etc. One thing parents never think to teach their children is that the people in our lives who we are likely going to hate most of all are the ones who break our heart. The ones who hurt us. We can talk about how much we hate people we don't know, but true genuine hatred is spawned from emotion only a personal connection can generate.

Most of all I hate that the Sixers betrayed me. Not me, the person, me the fan. The Sixers were my first love. I wanted to see an NBA championship for most of my life even more than an Eagles Super Bowl. There wasn't a single time in my entire life where I ever felt the Sixers were going to win a championship. Even in 2001, I think most fans knew they weren't going to beat the Lakers. Sure, we had our moment in game 1, but that didn't last long. 2019 was the closest the Sixers ever got. I truly believe if they had beaten the Raptors, they'd have gone to the Finals and possibly won. All they had to do was run it back and they'd have had a great chance to do it again in 2020. Instead, they decided to go in another direction. The wrong direction. And they completely boxed themselves into a corner that's almost impossible to get out of.

The Sixers have no cap room, they have no assets, they have no elite young talent they can flip in a package for a superstar. They have no draft picks. Most importantly though, they have neither the owner nor the GM to acquire those things and figure it out. What the Sixers did was rob me, and every other fan of a chance at a championship. A feat fans have waited close to 40 years for, and through several years of tanking and horrible basketball only to squander in a couple years everything they built. They stole my love from the game from me, and they stole any desire I had to watch something I love. They broke my heart and ruined my first sporting love. Yeah, I hate the Celtics, and the Lakers. I hate the Cowboys and the Giants. But none of those teams ever broke my heart. They have annoyed the shit out of me and nagged me, but never hurt me. The Sixers hurt me. They ripped my heart out. And I'll never forgive them. At least not under this ownership, and I absolutely hate them for it.