Tobias Harris’ Honest Reaction to Facing Tough 76ers Crowd

Tobias Harris returned to Philly to face a ton of booing fans. How did he take it?

Oct 30, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (12) dribbles the ball against Philadelphia 76ers guard Kyle Lowry (7) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Wednesday night marked the first time Tobias Harris played at the Wells Fargo Center since he last suited up as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. Following a six-year stint in Philadelphia, Tobias Harris anticipated a hostile crowd coming back as a member of the Detroit Pistons.

“This is a crowd that—they boo their own team—that’s kind of just how it is,” Harris said in a light tone.

Apr 25, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris (12) defends against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the second quarter of game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Even as a member of the Sixers, Harris had his bouts with getting booed at the Wells Fargo Center. At the end of the day, that experience comes with being a pro athlete in Philly.

At times in the past, Harris admitted he’s been bothered by the negative reception when it comes from his home crowd. As a visitor on Wednesday, Harris attempted to take a different approach.

“I did thrive off of it,” said the veteran forward.

“When I was here playing, that was something that was hard to play through. But you know, tonight, I was like, let me just take a different approach to it and embrace it a little bit. You know, like when you're in the moment, it's just tough. Like when you're in the moment, it's tough to get through.”

Harris was off to a tough start on Wednesday indeed. In 16 minutes of action, he made just two of his seven shots from the field. While the veteran posted seven rebounds in the first half, the Pistons needed a lot more than his activity on the glass to be able to pull off a road win in Philly.

“I thought I just did a good job of just staying with it all night,” Harris added. “Not letting it get to me, just really embracing my team and these guys. I thought my team did a really good job of keeping me on track of just understanding like, ‘Hey, we need you. Don’t worry about that.’ I think it’s funny because for a lot of guys, they were looking at me like, ‘Yo, you good?’ I’m like, I’ve been through this for a minute now.”

Harris re-grouped in the second half, maintained his activity on the boards, and improved his shot-making. In his final 19 minutes, Harris made six of his 11 shots from the field. He added 14 points and seven rebounds to his total for the night.

The return to the Wells Fargo Center was a successful one for Harris. He produced a double-double, scoring 18 points while coming down with 14 rebounds. He also had one assist and one block. The Pistons defeated the Sixers 105-95 to pick up their first victory of the year.

Harris heard it from the crowd whenever he stepped foot on the floor, touched the ball, or was shown on the jumbotron. Yet, he remains fond of Philadelphia’s crowd despite the ups and downs.

“I think the fans here get like, a bad rep on just their passion,” the veteran forward finished. “I played in different cities, and this is like one of the cities where you can get booed by fans, but you can be out at a restaurant, and they'll put their baby in your hands to take a photo. They’re just passionate basketball fans, and they want to see their team do well.”