Getty Former Philadelphia Phillies player, Jimmy Rollins, rings the Sixers bell.
A fan favorite tradition among Philadelphia 76er fans, the surprise leading up to what Philadelphia icon has the honor of ringing the bell has become a phenomenon. Despite the recent trend of attention the Sixers Bell has received, the Bell has actually been in existence for some time.
First appearing in 2013 and intended to be used for players to touch as they went onto the court, the Bell quickly became the opposite as players refused to touch the bell after going on a brief winning streak. The Bell would be brought back in the 2014-2015 season but due to the Sixers struggles at the time, was mainly used as a way to reward loyal organizational employees. Once “The Process” came to fruition and fans started flooding Wells Fargo Center again, the tradition morphed into what we have today.
Who Is Ringing the Bell at Sixers vs. Raptors Game 4?
UPDATE: As the Sixers revealed, it was 2008 World Series Champions, Charlie Manuel and Shane Victorino who rang the team in on Sunday.
.@Phillies 2008 World Series Champions, Charlie Manuel and @ShaneVictorino ringing us in! 🛎️🔨
Currently, there have yet to be any leaks as far as who the Sixers Bell ringer might be heading into game four. Don’t forget to check back in though, we’ll update you right here the second it gets announced!
One possible option could be Philadelphia legend, Jimmy Rollins. Rollins has rang the bell before and as one Twitter use aptly pointed out, the city has quite a bit to owe to people named Jimmy at this point.
@sixers game 4 bell ringer should be @JimmyRollins11 because phila loves their Jimmys. Jimmy Butler is to this team what @terrellowens was to the eagles. Straight money n brought a tough minded winning attitude to a team that needed it. #maxjimmy
In game three, Rhys Hoskins, James Van Riemsdyk, and Carson Wentz collectively rang the Sixers Bell, much to the delight of Philadelphia fans. Fan favorites in their respective sport, their presence set the tone for what would be an electric night in Philadelphia as the Sixers would dominate the Raptors.
Philadelphia Sixers & Toronto Raptors Eastern Conference Semifinal Check In
Despite another outstanding performance from Kawhi Leonard, the Toronto Raptors fell short against the Philadelphia 76ers. With the Sixers now holding a 2-1 series lead heading into a home game four, the Raptors desperately need to pull out a win and take back homecourt advantage. Pascal Siakam has been solid in the series but secondary star Kyle Lowry has struggled mightily in the scoring column. Even when he has put up decent numbers, he really hasn’t been overly efficient from the field.
On the Sixers side, Jimmy Butler has assumed the role of the heart and soul of the team. Despite Joel Embiid being the offensive focal point and Ben Simmons being the ball-dominant pace-pusher, Butler has taken his reduced role in stride and thrives on being a late-game closer for the Sixers. While they still have a number of holes that need addressing against other teams moving forward, the Sixers and Butler have looked excellent in their last two wins.
Game four should be a bit more tightly contested considering the Raptors are, for all intents and purposes, playing for their postseason lives. Down 3-1 against a loaded Sixers team is a tough hill to climb and the Raptors desperately need their auxiliary players to step up and offer some more help for Kawhi Leonard.