PHILADELPHIA, PA – Pretty soon, competing inside arenas with spectators looking on will become a regular thing for the 76ers.One week before opening the regular season versus the Oklahoma City Thunder at The Center, the team got a small taste. On Wednesday night, the Sixers broke from standard procedure, and opened up practice to the public, welcoming several thousand fans to the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University. The loose, upbeat session lasted roughly 75 minutes, and was hosted by Brett Brown.”We come here to Temple, and you see real fans, true fans of a great city,” Brown said. “To come out here and show them what we're doing, and them see the guys work a little bit, I think it's a responsibility we need to do, and very happy to do it for these fans.””It was very cool, very rejuvenating,” said Jahlil Okafor, who participated in the entire practice. We've been going hard every day. To have an opportunity to come here, in the city of Philadelphia in front of our fans, it was really fun. I think we enjoyed ourselves.”Fans began filing into the Liacouras Center, home of the Temple men's and women's basketball teams, shortly before six o'clock, while the Sixers were doing light shooting work. The club then retreated to the locker room, returning 20 minutes later for stretching and general warm-ups..@bp3 gettin' @IBX #BlueWeek Open Practice started from deep (2x).pic.twitter.com/N5n1wpuaI7— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) October 19, 2016 Just before the intensity of the practice picked up, Brown took to the Liacouras Center's public address system, and thanked those in attendance for their support. He pledged that this season, the Sixers will continue to compete with a determination and edge that embodies the spirit of the city they represent.Brett Brown thanks fans for their support before the start of @IBX #BlueWeek Open Practice.pic.twitter.com/OZgChEy2bO— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) October 19, 2016 Following his remarks, Brown would spend the rest of the practice wearing multiple hats – emcee, lead instructor, and educator. Throughout the evening, he explained why the Sixers were doing certain drills, and how they could be applied to game scenarios. Brett Brown telling fans what they'll see tonight. pic.twitter.com/LrYp7Pxg4q— Brian Seltzer (@brianseltzer) October 19, 2016 The Sixers went through mostly scripted exercises revolving around pick-and-roll defense, after-free throw situations, and sideline and endline out-of-bounds plays. A four-man dunk contest featuring James Webb III, Nik Stauskas, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and T.J. McConnell capped the evening. McConnell was the last to go. Fans cheered his name, and the 6-foot-2 tall point guard delivered. LIVE on #Periscope: Open Practice Dunk Contest https://t.co/iK8uwK5DiN— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) October 19, 2016 !!? @TJMcConnell YAM !!? pic.twitter.com/Gl9bQoaOBy— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) October 20, 2016 After the excitement surrounding McConnell's impressive slam died down, the Sixers returned to the floor to sign autographs. Joel Embiid was the final player to leave, spending a half hour interacting with fans..@JoelEmbiid, man of the people.#BlueWeek pic.twitter.com/0oSiDyw4CH— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) October 20, 2016 </script
.@bp3 gettin' @IBX #BlueWeek Open Practice started from deep (2x).pic.twitter.com/N5n1wpuaI7
Brett Brown thanks fans for their support before the start of @IBX #BlueWeek Open Practice.pic.twitter.com/OZgChEy2bO
Brett Brown telling fans what they'll see tonight. pic.twitter.com/LrYp7Pxg4q
LIVE on #Periscope: Open Practice Dunk Contest https://t.co/iK8uwK5DiN
!!? @TJMcConnell YAM !!? pic.twitter.com/Gl9bQoaOBy
.@JoelEmbiid, man of the people.#BlueWeek pic.twitter.com/0oSiDyw4CH
