The Top 10 Biggest Storylines From Philly Sports in 2024

• Honorable Mentions

  Obviously, not everyone had the same 10 stories on their list. So here are a few that got a few votes, but did not get enough to crack the top 10. So here are a few honorable mentions before we get to the top 10.

  • 76ers Arena Debate
  • Zack Wheeler Signs A New Deal, Pitches Like a Cy Young
  • Carter Hart Arrested
  • Haason Reddick Traded
  • Union Fire Head Coach Jim Curtin
  • Cutter Gauthier Forces A Trade
  • Bryce Harper Break Slump With 3 HR Game
  • Joel Embiid Scores 70 Points In A Game
  • Tyrese Maxey Makes It to His First All-Star Game

  

• 10) Sixers Lose To The Knicks In The Playoffs- (19 Votes)

  The Sixers 2023-2024 season started out as well as you could hope. Joel Embiid, coming off winning MVP, looked even better. He dropped 70 in a game and was averaging over a point per minute.

  But then disaster struck. A meniscus injury kept him out for most of the rest of the season. They were 31-8 when he played, but 16-27 without him. Embiid came back by the end of the year, but it was not enough to get out of the Play-in Tournament. But they managed to get through that, and hopes were high that they could get past the Knicks in the playoffs.

  Those hopes were dashed in 6 games. While Embiid and Maxey played great, the rest of the team was not so great. The Sixers didn’t even last long enough to get their usual 2nd round exit. Not to mention we had to deal with Knicks fans taking over our own building.

  It was an ugly end to an ugly season, that at one point had so much hope.

  

• 9) Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox Retire (33 Votes)

  Eagles fans have been lucky to have two Hall of Fame-level players for the past 13 years. Jason Kelce, drafted in 2011, and Fletcher Cox drafted in 2012. Those two, along with Brandon Graham, were the last remaining players from the Andy Reid era. They lasted through Reid, Chip Kelly, Doug Pederson, and Nick Sirianni. They were part of the only team to win a Super Bowl in Eagles history. But in the same off-season, they both called it a career.

  First Jason Kelce, in a tear-filled press conference, and then later Fletcher Cox, in a slightly more subdued one. Two huge leaders on the two sides of the ball, leaving at the same time.  There were questions about how the Eagles would survive losing two leaders. But there is not question that they are two of the greatest Eagles of all time. 

  

• 9) Phillies Great Start, Winning NL East For First Time Since 2011 (43 Points)

  We will get to the way the season ended, but the start of the season was magical. A rotation putting up historical numbers, a lineup near the top of the league, and a shutdown bullpen.

  Going into the All-Star Break, the Phillies were on top of the world, having just recently swept the Dodgers. From April 5th to mid-July, the Phillies won or tied 23 of their 28 series. They were 28 games over .500. But then August got ugly. September was a bit better, still not as good as they were earlier though. But they had built up such a big lead, that the NL East crown was never truly in doubt.

  They took home the NL East Pennant for the first time since 2011. But going into the playoffs the feeling around the team was nowhere near as good as it was back in July.

  

• 7) Eagles Get Blown Out By The Bucs In The Playoffs (46 Points)

  Most of the 2023 collapse was not eligible for this list. The 10-1 start, to the 11-6 finish, mostly all happened in 2023. But the end of it all, the playoff game vs the Bucs, fell in 2024.

  They drew a 9-7 Bucs team that only made the playoffs because of how bad the NFC South was. But the Eagles had been even worse, and it showed on that night. The Eagles got embarrassed down in Tampa Bay. They lost 32-9. That 32 for Tampa included a Safety that might be the worst play of Jalen Hurts career. They were lifeless and showed no fight at all. It was way many didn’t believe Nick Sirianni would be back. But we will get to that part of the story later in this list.

  

  (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

• 6) Paul George Signs With The Sixers (57 Points)

  Daryl Morey did not say the Sixers would go star-hunting like Brett Brown did. But he basically said it in his own way. Morey told reporters that the Sixers were targeting a “High-Level Player.” He specifically suggested they wanted a wing player. And that is exactly what they did.

  They eventually signed Paul George to a 4-year Max Contract worth $212 million. As free agency opened, it felt like it was the way George was leaning. But negotiations carried into the late night. While most of Philadelphia was sleeping, the news broke. Woj, who was still covering the NBA at the time, hit send on the Tweet announcing the deal at 3:30 am.

  Adrian Wojnarowski on X (formerly Twitter): "BREAKING: Free agent F Paul George has agreed on a four-year, $212 million maximum contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, sources tell ESPN. George committed in a meeting with Sixers officials and returns East to join Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in pursuit of an NBA title. pic.twitter.com/pkCfGu3hyp / X"

  BREAKING: Free agent F Paul George has agreed on a four-year, $212 million maximum contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, sources tell ESPN. George committed in a meeting with Sixers officials and returns East to join Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in pursuit of an NBA title. pic.twitter.com/pkCfGu3hyp

  So far, it has not worked out as the Sixers hoped. That is not all on George, and we will get into some of those issues later on in this list. But the George news was one of the biggest moments in Philly Sports this year.

• 5) Matvei Michkov Comes Over And Lives Up To The Hype (61 Points)

  When the Flyers drafted Matvei Michkov, it was with the knowledge he was a few years away from coming over to the States. Or so they thought. Because this summer they got the good news that Michkov was coming over 2 years earlier than expected. It was some of the first bit of great news the organization had in years. This was on the back of Cutter Gauthier forcing his way out of the organization and of course the Carter Hart Situation. They had been mired in mostly bad news for a while. But now, a kid many called the best Flyers prospect since Eric Lindros, was coming over to hopefully save the organization.

  The phenom did not disappoint. Right out of the gate, he looked the part, scoring 9 points in his 1st 10 games, and winning Rookie of The Month. There was a bit of a speed bump where John Tortorella benched him, but from there he picked up where he left up. He just turned 20 and he already looks like this. Imagine what he will look like when he is in his prime. He wasn’t even 20 yet when he scored his game-winner in OT, and then later added another OT game-winner to his resume.

  B/R Open Ice on X (formerly Twitter): "MORE MATVEI MAGIC IN OVERTIME 🪄 pic.twitter.com/UB7JJdGBAH / X"

  MORE MATVEI MAGIC IN OVERTIME 🪄 pic.twitter.com/UB7JJdGBAH

• 4) The Joel Embiid Circus (100 points)

  It has not been the easiest of years for Joel Embiid. Firstly, he injured his meniscus last season. It kept him out for most of the year. But as we already discussed, things did not go to plan in the playoffs.

  In the offseason, he made his Olympic debut for Team USA. He even played hero vs Serbia where his great play kept them in the game until Steph Curry took over. But many, even at the time, were concerned about him being at the Olympics and wished he just used the offseason to rehab. Those fears came to fruition once the regular season started and Embiid was not ready to play.

  He missed the first few weeks of games. Then the circus really kicked into high gear when he shoved Marcus Hayes, who had written a story criticizing Embiid, and for some reason implied that Embiid was disappointing his dead brother and young son in the original version of the story. The fans, who had been furious with Embiid, rallied behind him. But he was suspended and missed even more time. He returned, and had a few good games, but then missed another chunk of games with the same injury.

  ESPN on X (formerly Twitter): ""Joel Embiid got into a physical altercation, shoving a columnist in the postgame locker room tonight." @ShamsCharania on Joel Embiid and the NBA's investigation into the incident on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/p2z3nJqrEY / X"

  "Joel Embiid got into a physical altercation, shoving a columnist in the postgame locker room tonight." @ShamsCharania on Joel Embiid and the NBA's investigation into the incident on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/p2z3nJqrEY

  Even when he returned from that, he came back and had a great game, but in his 2nd game back took a hit to the face and suffered a sinus fracture. He is back playing again after missing only a couple of games, but there has been a lot more drama with Embiid lately than winning. And it has led to a bad start by the Sixers. They are starting to dig out of it, but there is a long way to go.

• 3) Saquon Barkley Signs And Look Like An MVP (111 Points)

  It was common knowledge that the Eagles don’t spend money on RBs. Or do they? Because not long after free agency opened, they landed the biggest RBs on the Market, agreeing to a 3-year $38 million deal.

  But the story did not end there. Because Barkley has been even better than advertised. He is on his way to a 2000-yard season, and even still has an outside shot to break Eric Dickerson’s record. He took home multiple Player of the Week awards, broke an Eagles record for single-season yards, set career highs, and has the Eagles clicking on all cylinders.

  Not to mention this play that will likely go down as the play of the year.

  NFL on X (formerly Twitter): "SAQUON BARKLEY IS NOT OF THIS WORLD.📺: #JAXvsPHI on CBS/Paramount+📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/UtCENDw6no / X"

  SAQUON BARKLEY IS NOT OF THIS WORLD.📺: #JAXvsPHI on CBS/Paramount+📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/UtCENDw6no

• 2) Nick Sirianni Off-Season Drama (115 Points)

  The story that dominated the summer. Nick Sirianni held onto his job. But only with the caveat that he was no longer in charge of the offense. They brought two experienced coordinators in, Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio, and made Sirianni “The CEO Head Coach.”

  But that shift was not even the biggest story with him. The offseason story was all about the relationship between him and Jalen Hurts. Multiple stories broke down how their relationship hit a rocky patch during the 2023 season, and it was not exactly fixed by the off-season. Hurts did very little to end those rumors with his typical media style where he gave little to no answers.

  But apparently, something was worked out. The Eagles started slow, 2-2, thanks in large part to injuries to several stars. but since the bye week, they are 10-1, with the 1 loss only coming when Jalen Hurts was knocked out of the game. Sirianni had a few rough weeks where the fanbase and media were tough on him, Browns and Jaguars games being standouts, but he has mostly redeemed himself in the eyes of the city… for now.

  97.5 The Fanatic on X (formerly Twitter): "Today @Tim_McManus dropped a huge story about the drama between Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts, and he also joined @975BestShowEver to explain why the story is still relevant. "There is a 2024 season that has got so much promise to it, but the two main characters in this story... pic.twitter.com/YDH2P0XOsk / X"

  Today @Tim_McManus dropped a huge story about the drama between Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts, and he also joined @975BestShowEver to explain why the story is still relevant. "There is a 2024 season that has got so much promise to it, but the two main characters in this story... pic.twitter.com/YDH2P0XOsk

• 1) Phillies Collapse Vs The Mets (126 Points)

  The runaway winner was the Phillies losing to the Mets, it was the only story that appeared on every single list. A season that once had so much promise, ended before it could get off the ground. 2 years after being two wins away from the World Series, the Phillies couldn’t even get two wins in the NLDS. The Mets mowed them down in a similar fashion to how the Phillies handled the Braves the past two seasons. Knocking them out in just 4 games.

  The bats went ice cold, with only Nick Castellanos and Bryce Harper showing life. The bullpen fell apart, with Jeff Hoffman in particular struggling. The starters still looked good, but that was not enough to get the Phillies to the NLCS. It was an utter collapse, that followed their collapse in the NLCS last season.

  MLB on X (formerly Twitter): "FRANCISCO LINDOR. GRAND SLAM. #NLDS pic.twitter.com/CdKuEVOfT3 / X"

  FRANCISCO LINDOR. GRAND SLAM. #NLDS pic.twitter.com/CdKuEVOfT3

  This team had been beloved. But you could feel people start to turn on them after this. We have seen it happen to the Sixers, where after several playoff exits, the fans stopped caring about regular season success. We already saw it a bit last season. Their latest postseason failure might push even more people to only really care once they get to the playoffs.

  It set up an important season for the Phillies. Their stars are getting older. The window might be closing. But with the already dominant Dodgers getting even better, is the window already closed? We will find out in 2025.