![\"Longtime](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/r5w8b3wxxij602b3.jpg\")
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PHILADELPHIA – From Allen Iverson to Joel Embiid, hundreds of players have taken the floor for the Philadelphia 76ers over the years.<\/p>\n
But for nearly three decades, one voice has defined the game-day experience inside the arena.<\/p>\n
That voice belongs to Matt Cord.<\/p>\n
What we know:<\/p>\n
After more than 1,500 games and 28 seasons as the Sixers\u2019 public address announcer, Cord is retiring \u2014 but not before delivering a few more of his signature, spine-tingling calls.<\/p>\n
Cord has been the voice behind the mic through generations of basketball in Philadelphia, becoming as much a part of the franchise as the players themselves.<\/p>\n
Heading into his final regular season game, the emotions are starting to build.<\/p>\n
“I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m nervous. I\u2019m more anxious,” Cord said. “I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll tear up.”<\/p>\n
What they’re saying:<\/p>\n
The moment wasn\u2019t just big for Cord \u2014 it was a family affair.<\/p>\n
More than 70 family members and friends packed the arena to support him, including his wife Patty Ann, who called the night “bittersweet.”<\/p>\n
“I\u2019m more emotional than he is, I think,” she said. “It\u2019s exciting, but his family is emotional. It\u2019s a bittersweet moment.”<\/p>\n
Dig deeper:<\/p>\n
Cord\u2019s passion for the game \u2014 and his craft \u2014 goes far beyond the arena.<\/p>\n
Long before tipoff, he\u2019s been known to warm up his voice at home, making sure every introduction hits just right.<\/p>\n
“We lived in the city and he would go on the roof and practice,” Patty Ann said. “I could hear it from the bottom of the house, so the whole neighborhood knows when Matt\u2019s warming up.”<\/p>\n
That preparation helped create one of the most recognizable calls in Philadelphia sports \u2014 his iconic introduction of Iverson.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a call that fans have mimicked for years \u2014 something Cord says he takes as the highest compliment.<\/p>\n
“It makes me feel humble,” he said. “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Yeah, it\u2019s neat.”<\/p>\n
And when asked about his all-time favorite?<\/p>\n
“Iverson\u2019s number one,” Cord said. “Finally\u2026 a 6-foot guard from Georgetown.”<\/p>\n
What’s next:<\/p>\n
As his legendary run comes to a close, Cord is hoping for one more moment behind the mic \u2014 announcing Embiid\u2019s return and maybe even a playoff push.<\/p>\n
The Sixers are still fighting for positioning, with at least one more game ahead in the play-in tournament.<\/p>\n
The team plans to honor Cord during a game next season \u2014 a fitting tribute to the man whose voice became the soundtrack of Sixers basketball.<\/p>\n
Philadelphia 76ers<\/a>NBA<\/a>News<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHILADELPHIA – From Allen Iverson to Joel Embiid, hundreds of players have taken the floor for the Philadelphia…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":709729,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3769],"tags":[679,7,6,67,678,207,3817],"class_list":{"0":"post-709728","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia-76ers","8":"tag-76ers","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-nba","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-philadelphia","13":"tag-philadelphia-76ers","14":"tag-philadelphia76ers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116398301192643595","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=709728"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709728\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/709729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=709728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=709728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=709728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}