Why I’m joining Liberty Ballers

As I’m sure many of you do, I have a complicated relationship with the Philadelphia 76ers. They have literally always been a presence in my life. My first memory of life is watching them journey to the 2001 NBA Finals while waiting for my brother to be born.

I grew up watching the team the same way most young Sixers fans from Delco do; just old enough to remember the literal superhero that was Allen Iverson, thoroughly bored with the post-Iverson, pre-Bynum Sixers, anxiously phanatic about the Sam Hinkie Era, amazed at the circus that has been the team ever since.

Like every other kid my age from Delco, I went to Temple to study sports writing. The last two seasons, I have covered their Women’s Basketball team as a beat reporter for the Temple News.

As I look for more opportunities as my time at Temple winds down, Liberty Ballers stood out to me because of how formative the site was to me as a writer. I spent pretty much all of high school, Sam Hinkie’s years, pouring over this blog, amazed that other people cared as much about the Sixers as I do.

Instead of spending study halls doing homework or socializing like the normal kids in my high school, I spent them reading in-depth breakdowns, player profiles, and sometimes deranged rants from this blog site.

I wasn’t sure if sports writing was something I wanted to pursue. I spent my first two years of college exploring fields I hated. It was always a crazy pipe dream in the back of my head. This site inspired me to try it, and to stick to it.

That’s why I’m joining Liberty Ballers. I am so excited to be a part of a community that loves talking about the Sixers and this is a great place for me to grow as a writer. I’m thrilled for the opportunity here and to journey through what will be another wild Sixers season together.