JB Bickerstaff just cannot help himself. No matter what city he’s coaching in, no matter what roster he’s standing in front of, he always finds a way to circle back to Philadelphia and take a little swipe.
This time, the generational Joel Embiid and Sixers hater decided to throw shade at the organization by claiming Tobias Harris was “treated poorly” during his time in Philly.
“It’s true,” Bickerstaff said. “The more I’m around him, the more I feel for how poorly he was treated in Philly. It makes absolutely no sense.”
Okay. Let’s slow down.
Because what exactly are we talking about here? Bickerstaff went on to praise Harris as an amazing dude, a consummate professional, a guy who guarded Karl-Anthony Towns in a playoff series and pulled down 14 rebounds a night, a steady mid-range scorer, a mentor, a businessman, the best teammate ever invented.
All of that can be true. None of that equals “treated poorly.”
JB Bickerstaff makes absurd claim that Tobias Harris was treated poorly in Philly:
Bickerstaff: Detroit Pistons Forward Tobias Was Treated ‘Poorly’ On Philadelphia 76ers
During an interview with the @RoadTrippinShow crew, JB Bickerstaff spoke about which player on the Pistons’ brings the most value behind the scenes, and he immediately thought of how puzzling…
— Eric Rutter (@EricJRutter) February 18, 2026
Nobody in Philadelphia ever said Tobias Harris was a bad guy.
In fact, most fans would tell you the opposite. He was respected in the locker room. He said the right things. He carried himself professionally. The issue was never Tobias the human being.
The issue was Tobias the max contract player.
When you sign a five-year, $180 million deal, expectations change. You are no longer just a steady veteran. You are supposed to tilt playoff games. You are supposed to show up in the second round. You are supposed to look like a co-star next to Joel Embiid, not a passenger.
And too often in the postseason, he disappeared.
That was the frustration. Not his character. Not his mentorship. Not his willingness to sit down and talk investments with young guys. His production did not match his paycheck when it mattered most. That is not mistreatment. That is professional sports.
Now in Detroit, Harris is averaging 13.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in his 15th season. He is a steady veteran presence. That is valuable. That is useful. Especially for a young Pistons team trying to find its footing. But let’s not rewrite history like Philadelphia ran the guy out of town with pitchforks for no reason.
Also, let’s call this what it is.
JB Bickerstaff has a long, well-documented history of taking little jabs at the Sixers and Embiid. He has been fined by the NBA for comments about Philly’s foul shots. He has publicly complained about officiating in games involving Embiid. He has called things “disgusting” when his teams could not stop No. 21.
JB Bickerstaff is a generational Sixers and Joel Embiid hater:
JB Bickerstaff fined $15K by the NBA for stupid remarks about 76ers’ foul shots
This is not new energy. This is a pattern.
It is always something. The free throws. The officiating. The narrative. Now it is Tobias Harris being “treated poorly.” The guy simply cannot resist a Philly subplot.
And look, if JB Bickerstaff wants to gas up his veteran and build his locker room culture, that is fine. That is his job. But spare us the revisionist history tour. Tobias Harris was not mistreated in Philadelphia. He was paid like a star and judged like one. That is how this works.
If anything, the real story here is how sensitive some coaches get when their teams cannot stop Joel Embiid. JB Bickerstaff remains the president of that fan club.
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