By: Ryan Mack
While the Danny Rumph Classic game between LOE and 8Eye took place, the star power was in full affect.
So much so that emcee Ghee Funny had to put his shades on to protect his eyes when the Morris Twins, Collin Gillespie and Ricky Council took the floor.
However while the pros were making their presence felt off the court, there was another a few feet from the court that was taking in what the Rumph had to offer as well. While he sat courtside, if you weren’t paying attention —you might have not even realized he was there.
That player was Reggie Jackson; the Philadelphia 76ers newly-acquired point guard. The former NBA champion got his first glimpse of what the sport of basketball means to brotherly love.
“Good to see the people,” Jackson said. “Get to watch good basketball. I get to support my old teammates. It’s just fun.”
Jackson’s “old teammates” need no introduction in the 215; Rumph MVP Marcus Morris.
The duo of Jackson and Marcus Morris donned a Los Angeles Clippers jersey for the better part of three seasons together, and spent time together in Detroit before Marcus was shipped off to Boston.
It was Marcus who got in the 34 year-old guard’s ear to show up. The offer to lace up his basketball shoes was on the table, but Jackson settled on being a bystander for Thursday’s festivities.
He opted to use the evening to relax and support his friends, while integrating himself to the community he will call home for the next year.
“A little bit but they didn’t press too hard,” Jackson spoke about the twins nudging him to play. “Just to get back in the swing of things. They allowed me to relax and go back to working out, so they let me have the night off.”
While he came to watch his friends, his moral support wasn’t enough.
Despite rostering the Morris twins as well as Jackson’s new teammate, Ricky Council IV, the FOE team was outdone by Gillespie and his 8eye crew in a narrow 89-80 loss. Every punch FOR threw was countered by Gillespie, highlighted by his game-high 30 points.
But the result didn’t matter to Jackson.
The veteran point guard signed with the Sixers less than a week ago, and has already gotten his first taste of the Philly basketball scene. After just 45 minutes of what was in store, Jackson loved it.
“There’s a lot of competition here everybody’s getting after it,” Jackson said. “The love for [Basketball]. That’s the cool thing about [The Rumph].”
