Scott fully embracing his folk-hero status in Philly
Veteran thinks fans in his ‘Hive’ relate to his regular-guy persona
CAMDEN, N.J. —A little more than six months ago, Mike Scott was excited when he learned he’d been traded along with then-Clippers teammate Tobias Harris to the playoff-bound 76ers, but he had no idea he’d turn out to be a folk hero of sorts in Philadelphia.
The tattoo-laden Scott spawned the “Mike Scott Hive,” his devoted fan club that sends him photos on Twitter of their Scott-inspired tattoos and invites him to events from bar mitzvahs to baby showers to surprising a woman’s husband at work. He interacts with them on social media and, increasingly more, in person.
There was the weekend in late July when he defeated a fan in a 100-meter race in
South Philly on Friday, then watched a rap battle Saturday night before crashing — via a last-minute invitation from a fan and wearing a T-shirt — a wedding reception in Center City in which he played the bongos and seemed to enjoy himself.
“I’ve never had anything like that [before],” Scott said during a media availability Tuesday at the team’s training facility. “It’s dope.”
Scott first noticed his “Mike Scott Hive” after hitting the winning corner 3-pointer in Game 4 of the Sixers’ firstround playoff series against the Nets. He explained his shot succinctly: “Cashed out.”
Two weeks earlier, fans noticed that he had teammate Joel Embiid’s back when he threw the ball at the Suns’ Eric Bledsoe after Bledsoe and Embiid got into it during a game.
On March 17, Scott went into the courtside seats in pursuit of a loose ball and took a sip of a Bucks fans’ whiskey.
Scott also provided solid minutes off the bench at power forward and occasionally played some center when Brett Brown opted for small ball. He was called upon for a careerhigh 24 minutes in 27 regularseason games with the Sixers, averaging 7.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and hitting 41.2% of his 3-pointers.
The postseason highlight was his game-winner in Brooklyn, which gave the Sixers a 3-1 lead prior to a crushing 4-3 series loss to the eventual champion Raptors in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Brown and general manager Elton Brand told Scott during exit interviews that they wanted him back. The Sixers re-signed him using the room exception, which allowed them to pay him $9.8 million over the next two seasons.
Though he talked to “three, four teams maybe,” Scott said the Sixers were his clear first choice.
“Philly was the place I wanted to be,” he said.
On the verge of his eighth NBA season, Scott, 31, came into the league having led Virginia in scoring during his final two collegiate campaigns. He figured offense would remain his calling card, but last season Clippers coach Doc Rivers helped him realize he has to make the hustle plays to carve out his niche at this level.
“[Rivers] told me to do the little things — dive on the floor, make the extra pass,” Scott said. “Because if your shot isn’t falling, what are you going to bring to the table? I’m man enough for me to say it took seven years for me to understand it.”
Having played four years with free-agent signee Al Horford in Atlanta, Scott knows the quality of person and player the Sixers are getting and thinks Horford will be able to mentor Embiid as well as play alongside of him. Scott also believes Philly has the talent to make a deep playoff run, referring to the Bucks and Nets as the two biggest conference threats in his eyes.
As for his relationship with Philly fans, Scott contends it’s simple.
“They see that I’m a regular person,” Scott said. “I just play basketball. Just keep it honest, be real, stay genuine. Just be yourself.
“I think people can relate to that. Some athletes are stuck up. I wasn’t raised like that. I was raised to be respectful, humble and also grateful.
“That grittiness, I feel like Philly fans can relate to. I have that chip on my shoulder that I feel like anyone who lives in this area has and can relate to.”
Scott was back at it Tuesday afternoon, serving ice cream from a Mister Softee truck in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum and — after letting folks know his plan on Twitter — went to a Popeyes in South Philadelphia to try a new chicken sandwich.
It’s anyone’s guess what tomorrow will bring with Scott.