The Best Items for Auction for the Sixers Youth Foundation

The Philadelphia 76ers are holding a silent auction throughout this week. I know what you’re thinking: “Wow, ol’ K-Love has become a shill!” Not so fast: this annual auction’s intent is to raise money for the Sixers Youth Foundation, and that’s something I’m willing to promote.

From the Sixers:

On Monday, March 4 at 12 p.m., the fourth annual Sixers Youth Foundation Gala, presented by VIP Wireless, will launch its silent auction, presented by Upper Deck.

The silent auction is a chance for fans not attending the event to participate and give back to the Sixers Youth Foundation, the 76ers’ nonprofit organization committed to positively impacting the lives of young people in the Greater Delaware Valley.

Last year, the Gala raised more than $1 million and this year it is on track to exceed that number with the auction’s help.

Fans have a chance to bid on more than 100 items at sixersyouthfoundation.org/auction until 9 p.m. the night of the Gala (March 11).

So without further ado, I present the six best items available for auction for the Sixers Youth Foundation.

Bernard Hopkins signed boxing gloves

This package includes:

- Two Everlast boxing gloves signed by boxer, Bernard Hopkins

Somewhere between accumulating hours worth of playing time of Fight Night Round 2 and watching Rocky’s first valiant effort to dethrone Apollo Creed, I developed a modest interest in boxing. I wouldn’t watch fights religiously, but when one of my favorite fighters was on the card, I was tuning in. One of those fighters was Bernard Hopkins.

Hopkins is the ultimate redemption story. Growing up in a life of crime in Northwest Philly, Hopkins landed himself in Graterford Prison at 18-years-old on nine felony charges. It was in prison that Hopkins found religion and boxing, and utilized both to turn his life around. As the story goes, upon being paroled, the warden at Grateford remarked that he’d see Hopkins again to which Hopkins replied, “I ain’t ever coming back here.” Fast forward to today, and both Hopkins and the warden were right: Hopkins never returned to prison and the warden would see him again, many times in fact, headlining pay-per-view events on HBO and holding numerous world titles.

If you’re a collector of sports memorabilia, I think this is a golden item to have in any sports shrine.

Zhaire Smith signed draft day jersey

This package includes:

Zhaire Smith signed Philadelphia 76ers Icon Edition “76” jersey from the introductory Draft Day press conference on Friday, June 22, 2018

Own a Zhaire Smith-signed Sixers jersey before he’s ever even played in one!

76ers Chef Jae Experience

This package includes:

- A private tasting menu for four (4) at the Sixers Training Complex, Six (6) courses w/ beverage pairings, inspired by the team menu & nutritional philosophies

- Opportunity to take a photo on 76ers Training Complex Court

-Meet and greet with Sixers Chef JaeHee

I love food. Not just in a way that would make Kevin Spacey murder me to teach society a lesson and leave my face buried in a bowl of Ramen. I enjoying preparing and cooking meals, I think gathering around a meal creates a wonderful social atmosphere, I respect the chemistry behind an ingenuous recipe and I adore the artful assembly of a beautiful dish. So any opportunity to get a personalized entree made from a professional chef is a no-brainer. Throw in the fact that this course will be made by the man running what ESPN dubbed the NBA’s top food program? Take my money, JaeHee.

Fighter Jet Experience

This Package Includes:

Opportunity For (1) Rider to Take an Instructional Flight with trained Pilot, Art Nalls, LtCol, USMC (ret).

One of the first movies I ever fell in love with was Top Gun, starring Tom Cruise. (Gimme a break, I was like 7.) But it wasn’t an admiration of Maverick that drew my attention. I’ve had an innate fascination with aviation for as long as I can remember due to my grandfather’s expertise in flying. He was a certified flight instructor for decades, and to this day, any time an airplane flies overheard, my grandfather remarks the make, model, year, engine type, former military utilization if applicable, etc. of the plane.

So of course, I find this fighter jet experience to be tantalizing. Seriously, it’s a rare opportunity to experience flight in a military-grade jet airplane. Now if I’m being honest, the price tag on this thing is outrageous for someone like me — lots of people don’t have an extra fifteen-hundred laying around. But if I hit the lottery before Monday evening, the second purchase I’ll make, after I forfeit a large lump sum to the bastards at Sallie Mae, is this fighter jet experience.

Studio Sit-in with Adam Blackstone

This Package Includes:

- Meet and greet opportunity for (2)

- Opportunity for guest to visit recording studio of many prominent artists

- Opportunity for guests to sit in studio during a recording session

This one might be a little personal/specific, as I dabble on the guitar and imagine most other people interested in this sort of item would be musicians or music buffs. Adam Blackstone is a respected producer and multi-instrumentalist who has worked with the likes of Dr. Dre, Janet Jackson, Al Green, and Philadelphia’s own The Roots. I’ve never stepped foot in a professional recording studio, but I can already envision how cool it must be to literally watch music being made by accomplished artists and the ebb and flow between a producer and a composer or song writer.

Attend 76ers private practice

This package includes:

- Opportunity for (4) guests to attend a Sixers practice at The 76ers Training Complex.

- During this experience, the guests will have the ability to watch a team practice during the 2019 NBA Season from a VIP balcony level

- Behind the scene tour of the Training Complex

- Opportunity to take a photo on the court following practice

-Receive (4) 76ers swag bags including team branded T-Shirts and Hats.

This is a great item for obvious reasons: I’d venture to guess 100% of our readers would be interested in attending a Sixers practice. As someone who has been to the practice facility in Camden, I can tell you that it is indeed a beautiful facility.