ORLANDO–The Philadelphia 76ers made an addition in the 2021 offseason looking to add to their bench and continue to grow their depth. The move they made was by bringing in Georges Niang in free agency as somebody who can knock down triples and fit in with their team.
That has been the case thus far as Niang is averaging 9.4 points and shooting 41.5% from deep in 95 games with the Sixers to begin his time in Philadelphia. In Friday’s road win over the Orlando Magic, Niang had 18 points and he drilled five triples.
All of that makes him a great fit on the court, but it’s his personality that has been a great addition to the Sixers as well. He loves to talk some trash and the City of Brotherly Love embraces him for that.
“I think Philly fans and people, they look at me and what I look like, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I can probably be that guy and be out there on the court’ that’s probably one reason,” laughed Niang. “I think I’m relatable. Funny, I say what’s on my mind, and I’m real and I think that’s what the city of Philadelphia is.”
The biggest example of this was late in the fourth quarter on Friday when Magic big man Bol Bol missed a free throw and Niang started yelling at him to give the people free chicken nuggets. He was referring to the “Brickin for Chicken” promotion back at the Wells Fargo Center where Sixers fans get free chicken when an opposing player misses two free throws in the second half.
One problem, the game was in Orlando. The Sixers fans love stuff like that.
“We get along great,” Niang added. “They love someone that’s gonna stir it up and talk a little trash and I’ve kind of embraced that. The love that they show is unconditional, there’s nothing like Philadelphia, and when the city’s buzzing, teams are winning, it’s a heck of a place to be.”
[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[listicle id=71496]
[lawrence-related id=71499,71486,71471]