National Basketball Association

Will Smith "Deadshot" Scores Hit On Philadelphia 76ers

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Will Smith, a.k.a. “Deadshot” from the Suicide Squad, hosted a dinner for the Philadelphia 76ers last night

Some know him as Deadshot in the latest version of DC Comics cinematic sensation “Suicide Squad”. However, even when he is simply Will Smith, minority owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and Hollywood star, he can score a hit. As a perfect example, he did so last night by attending a dinner for the Philadelphia 76ers.

#Sixers Noel on dinner with Will Smith: ‘Man, that’s one of my idols.’ Says he was ‘starstruck.’

— Tom Moore (@tmoore76ers) September 27, 2016

Certainly, Nerlens Noel was not the only player who appreciated the gesture. Smith shocked Jahlil Okafor, who never expected to meet his favorite celebrity.

Okafor’s favorite celebrity is Will Smith. Said he and team didn’t know Smith would be at dinner last night. Gave advice on success/failure. pic.twitter.com/U9fkhvt22X

— Brian Seltzer (@brianseltzer) September 27, 2016

But there was more than great dining and photo opportunities for the Philadelphia 76ers. There was some sage advice being handed down from Smith to key 76ers players:

Sage advice indeed.

However, this is not the first time Will Smith has made headlines with the Philadelphia 76ers. As an April Fool’s Joke, we had reported that Will Smith and his lovely wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, had purchased a majority share in the franchise. The story’s popularity forced Des Bieler of the Washington Post to write a story about our story. He reassured all that it was just an April Fool’s joke.

Despite not being expected, it’s nice to see that the Hollywood star can make time for the organization. His presence is one more landmark to the optimism of this organization going forward. With the Philadelphia Eagles undefeated at their bye week, a surge of optimism is taking over the city of Philadelphia. Perhaps some of that will spill over to the Philadelphia 76ers?

Hopefully, professional sports in Philadelphia are improving. And to mark that optimism for the Philadelphia 76ers, a dinner kicking off the new season with Will Smith is just the ticket.

After all, the championship dinner celebrating success will draw far larger crowds. That will make it more difficult for Smith to engage in one-on-one’s with Philadelphia 76ers players. They certainly enjoyed his company.

What a great way to kick off this new season!