NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 22: Markelle Fultz walks on stage with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers during the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 22, 2017 in New York City. (Image: Getty)
Markelle Fultz made his long-awaited return to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night following a shoulder injury, and he scored ten points for his team to lead them to a win.
The 2017 top overall pick was 5-of-13 in shooting from the floor and also had eight assists and four rebounds. Fultz — who played 14 minutes in the Sixers’ 123-104 victory over the Denver Nuggets — received a standing ovation from the Philadelphia crowd upon entering the game.
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The fans at Wells Fargo Center were chanting “Fultz! Fultz! Fultz!”, although 19-year-old Fultz heard something entirely different at first.
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“I thought they were saying ‘Nick Foles,‘” Fultz said of the Super Bowl MVP for the champion Philadelphia Eagles. “Then I realized it, and it was pretty dope. These fans are great, and I love them.”
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The Sixers (43-30, fourth in Eastern Conference) have clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2012.
Fultz — who only played the first four games of the season — ignored questions about his shoulder after Monday’s game.
“He looked confident,” coach Brett Brown said. “I thought it was a real, sort of bold, gutsy effort that he made given where he was, now where he is.”
Fultz said his teammates meant the world to him.
“I’m just trying to be the best teammate I can possibly be,” the 6-foot-4 former Washington guard said.
Joel Embiid added 20 points and 13 rebounds — including a big one-handed dunk over Paul Millsap — and Ben Simmons had 11 assists for the Sixers.
Will Barton led the Nuggets with 25 points.
The Sixers next host the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
One person who believed it was absurd for Fultz to avoid answering any injury-related questions directly was ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith:
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