The Philadelphia 76ers had the chance to draft Josh Hart with the No. 25 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Instead, they drafted Anzejs Pasecniks, who never played for them. The Los Angeles Lakers then drafted Hart with the No. 30 pick.
Now with the New York Knicks, Hart admitted to The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy that he wished the Sixers had drafted him back then.
“I wanted to go here. They were at 25. They did a draft-and-stash, some European guy that I can’t pronounce his name. But this is the place I wanted to go. It was right down the street. Unfortunately, they felt they wanted a draft-and-stash. But draft night I was a little bummed out that 25 came and I wasn’t there,” Hart said, per Bondy’s X account.
Hart played college basketball for Villanova University, which is centered in Pennsylvania. Not many players who are drafted No. 30 wind up as successful as Hart has. Hart has had multiple stops in his NBA career with the Lakers, Pelicans, and Trail Blazers but has found his place with the Knicks.
Other players whom the Sixers could have drafted at No. 25 in 2017 were Kyle Kuzma and Derrick White.
Josh Hart Calls Out Sixers Fans for Villanova Disrespect
Because the Sixers-Knicks series is going on, Sixers fans had some harsh criticism for Villanova alumni like Hart and Jalen Brunson when the university shared their highlights on its X account.
Our guys @jalenbrunson1 and @Divincenzo with two HUGE 3s to seal the Win in Game 2😤
@jalenbrunson1 24 pts | 8 reb | 6 ast
@Divincenzo 19 pts | 4 reb
@joshhart 21 pts | 15 reb
Hart called out Sixers fans for their actions, believing that college is part of their heritage as basketball players.
“That’s stupid,” Hart told reporters. “We have Villanova in our blood. That’s a bond that goes deeper than where you’re from or who you’re rooting for. We have a bond there that goes beyond basketball and any of that stuff.
“For Philly fans to be mad about that stuff is idiotic. That’s who we are. We’re a family. We play for the ones who come before us there. I don’t care about it. I think it’s idiotic that Philly fans are mad about that.”
Brunson added his own thoughts on the matter, calling out what he believes is a contradiction.
“I don’t know what to say to that,” Brunson told reporters when asked about the bashing. “In their eyes, we’re not a Philly school. But when we win, apparently, we’re a Philly school.”
Sixers fans were calling for the post to be deleted and that Villanova was not loyal to the city for posting highlights of their opponents.
Josh Hart Responds to Joel Embiid’s Comments
After the Knicks pulled off their miraculous comeback against the Sixers in Game 2, Embiid said that the series should be up in the Sixers’ favor.
“We should be (up) 2-0, so we’re good,” Embiid told reporters after their heartbreaking Game 2 loss. “We should be winning this series. We’re going to win this. We know what we’ve got to fix. We did a better job today, so we’re going to fix it. But we’re the better team and we’re going to keep fighting.”
Hart didn’t pay much heed to Embiid’s words at all, opting to focus on Game 3.
“I don’t care,” Hart told reporters. “We’re up 2-0. When the NBA starts basing the series on what we think, then I will care a little bit more. But right now we’re up 2-0 and we’re just focused on trying to get our third one.”
Comments
Josh Hart Gets Real on Sixers Passing on Him in 2017 NBA Draft