Tobias Harris responds to agent-father’s comments

Fathers are going to praise their sons highly. Likely above and beyond what’s realistic. For Tobias Harris, that means such praise will come from his agent as well.

Tobias’ dad, Torrel Harris, is the CEO of Unique Sports Management International and serves as Tobias’ agent. And in a recent interview, Torrel made some rather strong remarks about how his son, an “assassin scorer”, has supposedly been misused by the Sixers.

Harris gave a lengthy answer today when asked about the comments his father made, in an attempt to defuse the situation:

“Well, my dad, he’s my number one fan,” Tobias said. “If you ask him who’s better — me, or prime Michael Jordan, he’ll tell you prime Michael Jor... he’ll tell you me. And when I’m a father, I’m gonna tell my kid he’s better than LeBron James. But, you know, I’ve also told him that as a dad and agent, you know, not to speak for me when it comes to the media.”

When trying to politely say that your father was in the wrong and shouldn’t speak out on your behalf, yet defend his supportive nature at the same time, it’s probably hard to answer much better than Tobias did here.

Harris continued by emphasizing his understanding of being the fourth option for the Sixers, accepting a different role and the sacrifices it would include (he was never going to get to create as much offensively), and highlight what he has to offer.

(Sure, he oversimplified and oversold his game somewhat in his comments here, but what do you expect from a player who’s trying to defend himself?)

I’m sure some fans will be frustrated here. Some just want to move on from Harris and his huge expiring contract, and forget about the times where he’s been indecisive or come up short in the playoffs. That’s kind of understandable at this point. Some really probably would trade him for a Crumbl Cookie.

But he’s handled himself like a complete pro for the Sixers. And as overpriced as his contract is, that’s all on the front office. A player should never be at fault for simply accepting what was offered to them.

Contract aside, he’s still a good player. And to his credit, Harris has generally tried adjusting his role, taken less shots as a fourth option, remained fairly efficient, and ramped up his defense with some impressive performances in the last couple of postseasons. We all know there’s been mixed success in his roles over the years, but he’s remained professional and kept at it without complaint.

Considering the relationship in this situation and the feisty nature of the comments in question, this was a classy response from Harris.

Which, as has been the case during his time in Philadelphia and his NBA career in general, is how he operates.