If you were told that a song helped an American professional basketball team that has been playing for 57 seasons, what would you think? Sounds impossible, right? Well, that’s almost exactly what happened with the Philadelphia 76ers, also known as the Sixers, in Game 4.
While heading to the game, James Edward Harden Jr, a star player in the 76ers team, received a rare text from Coach Doc Rivers. It was a seven-minute gospel song called “You Know My Name.” It was written by Tasha Cobbs Leonard and published in 2017 as part of her album “Heart. Passion. Pursuit.” Although the song didn’t receive mainstream chart success, it received noteworthy popularity and fame.
“I’m on my way to the game, and I get a text from Doc. It’s a gospel song, and I’m like, ‘All right, whatever,’” Harden said. “So, I just tell my homies, ‘Let’s play the song.’ It’s a seven-minute song, but I let the whole song play. I was like, ‘All right, there’s got to be some kind of good juju in this song, or however he’s feeling, and I want to feel like that.’ And I guess it worked.”
But that wasn’t the only thing that caused Harden to score 42 points in Game 4.
A few months ago, Harden promised John Hao, a Michigan State shooting survivor, that he would help Hao get to a game. Hao was paralyzed from the chest down.
When Hao was healthy enough to go to a game, it was Game 4. Harden scored 42 points in front of his biggest fans, not wanting to let them down. Then, he gave John Hao the shoes he was wearing while scoring the winning three-pointer.
In the start of the game, the 76ers got a strong lead, holding a strong lead in the second quarter. After the first half, the 76ers were leading by nine points. The 76ers still had a nine-point lead after three quarters, but the Celtics took a five-point lead with two minutes left in the final quarter. The 76ers tied right before the end of the game. With the Celtics ahead by one point and with less than a minute left in overtime, Harden managed to get a three-point shot. The 76ers won 116-115.
After the game, PJ Tucker expressed the importance of “You Know My Name” as he said, “He [Doc] better play it again. He better play it again.”
The 76ers are almost making it into the conference finals, and they’re looking for any foothold, even if it’s a song.
While heading to the game, James Edward Harden Jr, a star player in the 76ers team, received a rare text from Coach Doc Rivers. It was a seven-minute gospel song called “You Know My Name.” It was written by Tasha Cobbs Leonard and published in 2017 as part of her album “Heart. Passion. Pursuit.” Although the song didn’t receive mainstream chart success, it received noteworthy popularity and fame.
“I’m on my way to the game, and I get a text from Doc. It’s a gospel song, and I’m like, ‘All right, whatever,’” Harden said. “So, I just tell my homies, ‘Let’s play the song.’ It’s a seven-minute song, but I let the whole song play. I was like, ‘All right, there’s got to be some kind of good juju in this song, or however he’s feeling, and I want to feel like that.’ And I guess it worked.”
But that wasn’t the only thing that caused Harden to score 42 points in Game 4.
A few months ago, Harden promised John Hao, a Michigan State shooting survivor, that he would help Hao get to a game. Hao was paralyzed from the chest down.
When Hao was healthy enough to go to a game, it was Game 4. Harden scored 42 points in front of his biggest fans, not wanting to let them down. Then, he gave John Hao the shoes he was wearing while scoring the winning three-pointer.
In the start of the game, the 76ers got a strong lead, holding a strong lead in the second quarter. After the first half, the 76ers were leading by nine points. The 76ers still had a nine-point lead after three quarters, but the Celtics took a five-point lead with two minutes left in the final quarter. The 76ers tied right before the end of the game. With the Celtics ahead by one point and with less than a minute left in overtime, Harden managed to get a three-point shot. The 76ers won 116-115.
After the game, PJ Tucker expressed the importance of “You Know My Name” as he said, “He [Doc] better play it again. He better play it again.”
The 76ers are almost making it into the conference finals, and they’re looking for any foothold, even if it’s a song.
