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Philadelphia 76ers Rival Star Reps Philly Sports Gear Courtside

Damian Lillard was seen with a Philadelphia Phillies hat on Monday night.

Justin Grasso

Philadelphia 76ers Rival Star Reps Philly Sports Gear Courtside
Philadelphia 76ers Rival Star Reps Philly Sports Gear Courtside /
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With the Milwaukee Bucks getting the night off on Monday, their star guard Damian Lillard caught some live NBA action not far from his current playing city.

As the Philadelphia 76ers battled it out with the Miami Heat in South Philly on Monday, their Eastern Conference foes, the Chicago Bulls, hosted the Portland Trail Blazers.

Being that Lillard will go down as one of the greatest Blazers to don the red and black, it’s no surprise he checked out his former team when he had the chance.

Really, the only surprising thing about Lillard’s presence in Chicago on Monday night was the fact that he was donning a Philadelphia Phillies hat.

Now, Lillard’s no Mikal Bridges, meaning he’s unlikely a die-hard Phillies fan like the former Sixers draft pick. However, the fact that he repped the logo of a Philly sports team intrigued shared fans of the Sixers and the Phillies.

Being that Lillard is often out and about, showing face publicly at games when he’s not playing, a lot of his moves tend to be viewed under a microscope. 

If he had worn a Phillies hat prior to his trade to Milwaukee, his fashion choice probably would’ve been headline news, firing up the trade rumor mill.

On multiple occasions over the last couple of seasons, Lillard was a popular trade candidate for Daryl Morey’s 76ers. The Lillard-to-Philly speculation ended during the 2023 offseason, when it was suggested that in order for the Sixers land Lillard, they would need to include Tyrese Maxey in a deal. Once that was revealed, the Sixers removed themselves from the equation.

Eventually, Lillard was on board with a trade to join Giannis Antetokounmpo out in Milwaukee. Now, he’s playing for former 76ers head coach Doc Rivers on the 44-24 Bucks, who place second in the Eastern Conference. 

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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