CAMDEN, N.J. — The NBA can be a young man’s game as the league gets more athletic which means for the older players on a team’s roster, it can be tough to connect with their younger teammates at times.
For the veterans on the Philadelphia 76ers, they have connected with youngsters such as VJ Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey, Justin Edwards, Johni Broome, and others through video games.
Paul George, 35, is in his 16th year in the league and is a 9-time All-Star. He’s somebody the younger Sixers can look up to, but in order to connect with his younger teammates, he has taken up video games.
“Unc is what they’ll call me,” George smiled. “I’m the uncle. It’s great to be able to relate with something outside of work. As much fun as we have here in this building, it carries over outside of this building where we can laugh, we can talk about life stuff. It’s just great to have that separation. And again, I think there is space where you can open up and be vulnerable, be yourself, be comfortable doing something of basketball.”
George always had the respect of the younger players. They all look up to him and respect him for all that he’s been able to accomplish at this level, but in terms of his relationship with the players, he has had to find a way to get through to them off the court.
“I think that’s kind of where the trust and the relationship is grown,” George added. “Whatever we talk about, shooting the (expletive) on the game. It carries over to the next day and we’re looking forward to seeing each other. We laugh about what happened the night prior, who sucked and who was trash. It’s a fun way for us to just express ourselves outside of the grind of the season.”
Andre Drummond, 32, has been in the league for 14 years. He’s another older player who is connecting with his teammates through the love of video games. It keeps things light in the locker room and allows guys to be themselves and relax off the court.
“It’s pretty cool because every day we come into the locker room, we’re always talking about the night before whatever game we were playing,” Drummond added. “So, just the chemistry that we’re building off the court has been very beneficial for our team when we get on the court, and we’re starting to see it. We gotta keep that going and keep finding ways to connect with each other.”
The chemistry and camaraderie that this team is beginning to grow off the floor is something that will play an important role for them going forward. The Sixers will need to grow off this and build a tight-knit bond that will play a part in their overall success.