PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers, obviously, had a busy offseason with the big additions of Jaylen Brown and LeBron James as well as other key additions to help put them over the top in the Eastern Conference. That means that key pieces from the previous year were out the door.
One of them was Kelly Oubre Jr. who signed with the Indiana Pacers early in free agency amid the flurry of moves the Sixers made in the offseason. Picked up off the scrap heap late in the 2024 offseason, Oubre had three productive seasons with the Sixers as he averaged 14.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals during his time in Philadelphia.
As he gets set to make his return to Philly on Sunday afternoon, Oubre opened up while at his locker pregame on his time with
the Sixers and the relationships he has with coach Nick Nurse, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and a slew of others as he enters the Xfinity Mobile Arena:
On his feelings entering the building after three years in Philadelphia
"Ah, just nostalgic, too. My first, what eight years, coming in this visitor's locker room. It's different because I was on the other side for a minute. So, yeah, it's cleaner. I think they renovated it, but it's a little different, of course. Just trying to take this day moment by moment because I want to cherish these moments."
On why he chose the Pacers in free agency
"It was the pace, the culture. The attitude that this team has. It's a fast-paced style of basketball. It's a bunch of guys who work collectively as a unit, and kind of figure it out from there. I thought that would be a great opportunity for me to kind of just come and free flow play, and then not have to think, which was I was wrong. Been thinking a lot, but I'm starting to figure it out and starting to get my rhythm here, but at the end of the day, man, it's a great culture. Coach Rick Carlisle is a legend, Hall of Fame coach, and they wanted me. So, I love people who want me."
On if he expected to return to the Sixers
"Mike (Gansey) came over from Cleveland, and I heard whispers that he wanted some of his Cleveland guys, and I was like, ‘OK, cool. I'm a Philly guy. So, I guess you know when he comes over, I will no longer be a Philly guy,’ and that was kind of the situation at hand. No bad blood, because business is business at the end of the day. They have a great team over there, and they put together a team that they think that's the best for them. So I'll be alright elsewhere. So I figured it out."
On what the Sixers mean to him
"I mean, I was literally about to be done with basketball. Coach Nurse called me multiple times, and said, ‘I want you to play for me.’ And I was like, ‘You know what? This guy really seems to care. He really wants me.’ So, absolutely, thank you for just pulling me out of that pit and that hole that I was in four years ago, and I got some new life in my basketball career. So, I'm always thankful for that, and I love Nurse for that, and just appreciative for my time here and just the battle wounds and scars that I've been able to build up. It made me a better man."
On if he still talks to his former teammates
"Absolutely. I just hollered at VJ for a little bit. Reese is somebody that's locked in super, as you all know, which I gave him his space. That's my brother in real life. So yeah, it's gonna be weird because obviously it's a competitive match, but at the end of the day, I do miss these guys and miss the people and the training staff and stuff like that. At the end of the day, I'm on the opposing side and I'm here to do a job."
On the Sixers landing Brown and James
"I mean, it was must-see TV, like everybody else. As a basketball fan, it was pretty cool to see where I was to kind of reinvent, and kind of get new life and new energy. So, I was happy with that. Would I have loved to be a part of it? Of course. But at the end of the day, I'm a grown man, and I got to keep moving and figure it out for myself. But it was entertaining, you guys get to see and cover these guys. I'm sure it's more entertaining for you than me. But yeah, I mean, just kind of happy for all the people who've sacrificed over these years and figuring it out. But like I said, I'm trying to put a roadblock in that road for y'all."
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Kelly Oubre Jr. opens up on leaving Sixers, gives love to former team
