Gathered in a ballroom in downtown Charleston on Sept. 26, the 2022-23 Philadelphia 76ers shared their first meal as a team.
There, historian Dr. Bernard E. Powers Jr., Ph.D – who would serve as one of the team’s hosts for the week – addressed the team, offering an introduction to the history of Charleston, formerly the site of the largest slave port in the United States.
“We have much to learn about those who have preceded us, those who have made a way for us,” Dr. Powers said. “It is important for young people to imbibe the values of the people who have made the history that we learn about.”
The evening’s lecture, an introduction to Charleston’s role as an epicenter of the American slave trade, offered a stark contrast to that morning’s agenda.
Just eight hours prior, the team had gathered in Camden, N.J., for its annual media day.
But for Doc Rivers, who engineered the team’s training camp away from home, the morning’s obligations and evening’s events were carefully matched.
“This is a we season, not a me season,” Tyrese Maxey said that morning in Camden, addressing the Philadelphia media.
Rivers had delivered that slogan to the team minutes earlier, in its morning meeting.
Upon conclusion of the media day circuit, the group flew straight to Charleston – the site upon which the team would begin forging that “we.”
For Rivers, the camp away from home was always multipurpose. Uninterrupted on-court time, opportunities to bond towards the we, and a historical and cultural immersion which began with Dr. Powers’ evening lecture.
“I was very intrigued by the prospect of trying to make a contribution to this important and historic visit that the 76ers made here to Charleston,” Powers said. “This is really something that I’m honored to do.”
And as official practices at The Citadel began the next morning, the off-court priorities remained in focus too:
Maxey described the subsequent afternoon, which became the evening, spending hours on end with his teammates at the hotel – talking, playing cards, breaking bread.
The following day, in lieu of a second practice, the team set out on a three-stop historical tour, led by Rivers and Dr. Powers.
“It was powerful, it was moving, it was deep,” Shake Milton said of the afternoon that would follow. “I feel like it was something everybody needed to see.”
The team’s first stop was The Old Slave Mart Museum, the United States’ first museum on the history of slavery. The museum is located at the site of Ryan’s Mart, Charleston’s primary site for public slave auctions prior to the Civil War.
“The most eye-opening thing for me is the dollar amount they were purchased for,” Tobias Harris said. “When we started hearing those numbers, it was eye-opening to hear, and feel it. ‘Wow, somebody was bought for $450. It’s horrible. It was sad to hear, but those were what the times were.”
“Professor Powers told us that at some point, multiple people in the room’s [ancestors] had probably gone through Charleston,” Matisse Thybulle said. “I think for 99% of us, we had no idea that that was the central hub. To be in that space, surrounded by so many Black men, was very powerful.
“They talked about the fact that the bricks themselves were made by the slaves, and you could see the fingerprints of the people who made them. To be able to stand, and look at where somebody’s fingers were – the somebody who was being bought, and sold, and torn apart from their family – was a very moving experience.”
The team’s second stop was the soon-to-open International African American Museum (set to open Jan. 21, 2023), where players and staff were given the opportunity to preview the museum which will feature centuries worth of African American history.
“We [talk] about the way you can use South Carolina as a foundation for understanding the African American experience in the United States,” Powers – who serves as the museum’s Interim Chief Executive Officer – said.
“But beyond that, we convey the major point that the Black experience is not confined to the borders of the United States, but it has important international connections.”
The museum sits upon the former site of Gadsden’s Wharf, once the entry point to the United States for up to 40% of all American slaves.
It was there where Thybulle, whose father is Haitian, found a special connection to his own history.
“The museum had a section about Haiti, and their story in slavery. For me, being a Haitian-American, it was really meaningful. Their story is one that most people don’t know, in that they had a successful rebellion against the country that was trying to colonize them – the French – and freed themselves. It’s an amazing story that doesn’t get spoken about often.”
Powers was proud to serve as a conduit to those connections.
“These are All-Star, highly accomplished athletes, who know how to soar, to fly through the air – but as they’re doing that, they are being projected forward not only by their own power, but by the power of those who have gone before them and helped to make a way for them too.”
A message echoed by Joel Embiid.
“It was good to learn about the history, slavery, and all that happened with my people – my African people – coming here, the people that gave their lives for us to be able to be in this position,” Embiid said. “It was great to learn about all of it.”
Dr. Powers’ goal to teach international connections resonated with the other international Sixer, Furkan Korkmaz, too.
“I’m glad that I was part of that group that was trying to learn,” Korkmaz said. “History is history. It doesn’t matter which country you’re from, or which religion you’re part of – you just need to learn it. It gives you more vision.”
The tour concluded at The Avery Research Center, where the team viewed artwork from local artists, were treated to a Gullah Geechee meal by acclaimed Chef BJ Dennis, and continued to reflect.
“It was cool not only to have so many Black men experience it, but also to be led by a Black man in our coach, Doc Rivers, and feel how important it was to him, and how important it was for us, firsthand,” Thybulle said. “Doc said that it’s important to learn history so you don’t repeat it.”
“[Doc] is a real leader for this team, and wants to set the proper tone,” Powers reflected on working with Rivers. “He realizes that members of the team are from around the country, they bring different experiences, and are not from here. This is such an important place in terms of the African American experience. He wanted to be able to connect that experience to the team members. As a history professor, I really appreciated that.”
The conversations sparked that day returned to the hotel with the team, and beyond.
“I know when I got back to the hotel, it was a lot to take in,” Harris said. “When we were up close, getting true historic information, I know speaking to a lot of the guys – their hearts were really heavy.”
“For myself personally, it was big,” Milton said. “I went home, called my mom, and we talked about it too. It was powerful. I’m really glad I was able to experience that.”
Korkmaz and Thybulle reflected together.
“Matisse is a good friend of mine, so we really talked,” Korkmaz said. “I was not shy about asking questions because I wanted to learn. I really wanted to learn. That should come from your heart.
“Now, when people talk on TV, when my teammates talk, now I really know what we’re talking about. It’s really important to understand, and it helps people get to know each other too. We’re all part of history.”
For its final training camp practice, Dr. Powers addressed the team on the court alongside Rivers.
“Remember, these people were captive Africans, yes, but their spirits were not broken,” Powers said. “They came from many places, but when they got here, they became a new people.”
Rivers and Dr. Powers stood at the center of the camp’s final huddle. Harris delivered the last “together on three” of the week.
“I think the big message of training camp was resilience,” Harris said. “Seeing what our ancestors had been through, and getting a greater understanding, but also knowing that we play basketball with those same values we should put into our sport as a team – resilience and pushing through.”