Wherever Philadelphia athletes are celebrating, look for Kevin Hart.
The actor/comedian/Philadelphia native, who was famously thwarted in his ill-conceived attempt to get onto the field after the Eagles won the Super Bowl in February, found the going much easier Tuesday night in Philly’s Wells Fargo Center after the 76ers advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
With emotions running high, Hart got a little carried away, almost literally.
Joel Embiid, the Sixers’ 7-foot star, stooped to give Hart, who stands 5-4 or so, a big hug and then, well, it was liftoff.
Embiid was playing in his first home playoff game after missing Games 1 and 2 of the Bucks series with an orbital fracture that requires him to play while wearing a mask. The Sixers have won 25 of their past 27 games at home, dating to the regular season.
“It just shows you how much we need them,” Embiid said of the fans (via ESPN). “Especially myself, I play better in that type of environment. I need the fans to get into it and push me. That makes me elevate my game.”
As well as Kevin Hart.
Hart naturally had a primo seat, one made even more special by the presence of rapper and Philadelphia native Meek Mill, who earlier in the day had been released from prison after a vigorous campaign by high-profile luminaries that included celebrities and pro sports owners such as the New England Patriots’ Robert Kraft and Sixers co-owner Michael Rubin.
It’s a heady time for Philadelphia sports fans, and no one has been headier than Hart after the Eagles beat the Patriots in February’s Super Bowl. As the Eagles took the stage for the postgame trophy presentation, Hart, fueled by the two A’s of sports (adrenaline and alcohol), tried to join them but was quickly disabused of that idea by a security guard who was, Hart later said, “firm” in his conviction.
“When alcohol is in your system, you do dumb stuff,” Hart began in a hilarious Instagram video. (Warning: It contains some profanity). “Me trying to go on stage with the trophy [is] definitely in the top two stupidest things I’ve ever done, but who cares? The Eagles won the Super Bowl.”
“Still a little tipsy,” Hart pointed out later that his wife, Eniko Parrish, had warned him not to go on stage. “It didn’t work out good,” Hart said with a laugh. “That man did his job, didn’t he?”
In his inebriated reverie, Hart managed drop an accidental f-bomb that got him escorted off the NFL Network set by a joking Deion Sanders. (You can see the NSFW video here.) “He got to go,” the host joked as Hart was led away.
And if the Sixers were to win the NBA title? The sky might be the limit for Hart, as long as Embiid is there to assist.
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