Just when you thought 76ers fans wouldn’t top having sex with headless Ben Simmons piñatas, more embarrassing behavior is happening as I write this down at the Wells Fargo Center while the Sixers are playing the Blazers. Okay, maybe it’s not as bad as the clowns and the piñata abusers but I still don’t like what I’m seeing at the center tonight.

At the half, the Sixers hold a one point lead on the Blazers. They are playing without Joel Embiid (rest) and Tobias Harris (COVID Protocols). Obviously Ben Simmons is also not playing, but we’re thinking he’ll ideally be back for a road trip mid-November. It’s a tight game. A huge game for the Sixers bench and role players to step up and get a win at home against the Portland Trail Blazers and the fans are…cheering for Dame Lillard? Seriously?

This morning, I fired out a tweet into the great unknown about how 76ers fans shouldn’t cheer or root for Damian Lillard during tonight’s game. I sent off a few more tweets practically begging 76ers fans to not embarrass our team and our city by giving an opposing player the star treatment in our own arena. Dame Lillard has said time and again that he has no interest leaving Portland. Why would we even think about cheering for an opposing player? I knew it would happen and sure enough, that’s exactly how it went.

From the pregame lineup announcements, where Sixers fans typically chant “sucks” after an opposing player is announced, we were off to a bad start. Fans chanted “sucks” after every name, even Robert Covington, but then cheered for Dame Lillard. The embarrassing cheers continued into the early parts of the game. I don’t find it amusing at all.

“We Want Lillard!!” is so embarrassing. What in the world are we doing? This guy had the opportunity to request a trade and decided to stick it out in Portland. The 76ers are playing fantastic basketball even without Ben Simmons. Dame Lillard is off to a terrible start this season and his struggles are continuing tonight.

Since when do we do this with opposing players? It’s the softest thing that’s happened in Philadelphia since Ben Simmons passing up a dunk in Game 7. If anything, we should be booing Dame for not requesting a trade and staying in Philadelphia. We should boo him even more if you think there’s a chance he wants out of Portland. No better way to make that happen than Dame losing every game he plays as a Portland Trail Blazer. Why the hell are we cheering this man? Do you really think your cheers are going to make Dame all of the sudden be like “oh wow Philly is so nice, I definitely want to be traded now”? Are we really that stupid?

Sports Talk Radio is to blame too. People were sending food to Dame’s hotel. Sending him merchandise. Sending him whatever. That’s not “cool”, that’s pathetic and makes us all look like idiots. It also makes me question your basketball knowledge given the fact that again, Dame has publicly stated he wanted to stay in Portland and the Blazers have turned down other trade offers surrounding CJ McCollum from the Sixers already. It’s not happening. Shut up already.

Everyone in the city can apologize by signing up with a new Parx Sportsbook account.

You can read this and begin your apology now.

Do better Philadelphia.