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Philadelphia 76ers veteran point guard Patrick Beverley continues to recognize his biggest fans. One week after signing a series of autographs for a fan wearing several of his jerseys, Beverley awarded another young fan a pair of shoes.
The fan, named Noah, gave Beverley a handwritten letter during the Sixers’ 125-114 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. The note detailed his fandom of both the 12-year veteran and his podcast “The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone.”
Noah highlighted his love for Beverley’s iconic trash talk and his hopes to see the tenacious guard win an NBA title with Philly. He concluded by requesting a pair of Beverley’s shoes, noting that he hoped he would record a triple-double against the Hawks.
Beverley fell well short of a triple-double, finishing with five points, one rebound and one assist on 33.3% shooting. Nonetheless, the defensive-minded guard was happy to oblige the young fan’s request, bestowing him with a pair of Paul George 6s.
“I’ll get a pair of shoes for you right now, okay?” Beverley said as he signed his autograph.
Check out the wholesome interaction below:
Patrick Beverley on Joel Embiid’s dominance
Patrick Beverley has played with several superstars throughout his 12-year career, including James Harden, LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard. However, according to the veteran, Sixers superstar big man Joel Embiid may be his most dominant teammate yet.
After Embiid dropped a season-high 50 points during Philly’s 131-126 road win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, Beverley raved about the reigning MVP’s dominance.
“Like I said earlier in the season, you think you’ve played with great players before until you play with Joel,” Beverley said.
“Obviously, I’ve played with a ton of bigs, a ton of players period. The Kawhis, the James Hardens, the Karl-Anthony Towns’, the Anthony Edwards’, I mean, a lot of really, really, really, really good players. [But] Joel brings a different aspect of the game.
“He’s so dominant. He doesn’t rely on his jump shot a ton. If it’s not going in, he knows how to get to the free-throw line. So, he’s probably one of the most dominant players I’ve ever played with.”
Through 18 games, Embiid is once again leading the NBA in scoring at 33.3 points per game. That marks a slight uptick from his league-leading 33.1 ppg average last season. He's also averaging 11.5 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.9 blocks and 1.1 3-pointers per game on 51.0% shooting.
Embiid is among the favorites to win this season’s MVP, with NBA.com’s Michael C. Wright ranking him No. 1 in his latest Kia MVP Ladder. However, given his history of playoff letdowns, most fans will probably reserve the right to evaluate the superstar big man until after the 2024 playoffs.
Through 21 games, Embiid and the Sixers (14-7) are fourth in the Eastern Conference.
