“Mf can’t even go to a basketball game,” Saquon Barkley once fired back at New York fans. Fast forward from that heated May playoff night, and here he stands at Wells Fargo Center again, with the ceremonial bell in his hands. The Eagles‘ star running back, who just months ago sat through a chorus of boos from Knicks fans in this very arena, is back to twist the knife in New York sports fans’ hearts.

The October 23 season opener against the Bucks marks another chapter in Barkley’s Philadelphia transformation. The former Giant, who grabbed headlines with a three-year Eagles deal, isn’t longer watching from the sidelines. He’s front and center, ringing the bell in the new season for a team that shares a fierce rivalry with New York sporting folklore.

Saquon’s last Wells Fargo Center appearance still stings in NY. Back in May, even with Sixers’ owners buying 2,000 tickets for local first responders and community groups, traveling Knicks fans made their presence felt. When they spotted Barkley with teammate A.J. Brown, the boos rained down. 

The running back fought on social media that night: “Let me educate some of you fans here… I can’t bail or become a traitor if I never got an offer to come back.” When Giants legend Tiki Barber labeled him “dead,” Barkley snapped: “@TikiBarber lol yup you’re the prime example of loyalty to a team.”

These wounds run deep. According to sources, Saquon Barkley wanted to be a lifelong Giant. But when no contract offer came – not even a franchise tag – he jumped to the Eagles. “I got the deal I wanted, secured more guaranteed money which wasn’t given to me before… so if fans are gonna hate me for that so be it!” he posted.

The Sixers face Milwaukee without their heavy hitters!

As Saquon Barkley rings the bell, the 76ers stare down a tough matchup minus their star power. ESPN’s injury report confirms both Paul George and Joel Embiid are ‘out’, leaving gaping holes against a strong Bucks squad.

George’s story unfolded last week against the Hawks. A defensive play gone wrong left him hobbling. “I know I’m thinking of when I seen it immediately I was like, ah, this don’t feel right,” he recalled. But there’s hope – he’ll suit up for the Hawks and Pacers games this week, promising fans after sustaining a ‘hyper-extended knee’, “I should be back hopefully sooner than later.”

Joel Embiid’s path looks rockier. His January clash with the Warriors turned scary when Jonathan Kuminga crashed into his left leg. With just four minutes left and 14 points to his name, the 7x All-Star limped to the locker room.

Surgery followed, and inconsistency on the hardwood continued, but he played in the Olympics, and now he’s missing the entire week, including matchups with the Raptors (October 26) and Pacers (October 28), re-valuation on the weekend.

However, there seems to be more trouble around Joel Embiid because Windy believes, “I don’t think Joel Embiid has an injury here. I think this is essentially maintenance,” and that might not bode well with Adam Silver and Co.’s 65-game rule, despite The Process reportedly clarifying that his focus is only the ultimate ring and not any All-NBA appearance anymore.

The Sixers’ 3-3 preseason record tells the story of a team searching for rhythm. They bounced from a dominant 139-84 win over New Zealand to a 121-111 stumble against the Wolves. Tonight, they’ll lean on Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., Eric Gordon, Caleb Martin, and Andre Drummond – a lineup facing its toughest test yet.