New Sixer Donyell Marshall steels himself to play in Eagles country

"Donyell Marshall was hoping the subject wasn't going to come up during yesterday's introductory telephone press conference with 76ers reporters.He had to know it would.Despite growing up in nearby Reading, he's a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. The only one, he said, in his family."I was trying not to mention that at all because I go through a lot of stuff [living in Cleveland] for the same reasons," Marshall said, laughing, a day after signing with the Sixers as an unrestricted free agent. "When I grew up is when the Steelers won the four Super Bowls and I liked Lynn Swann, Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris."The funny thing is, I tried so hard to root for the Eagles, [but] it seemed like every time they had a good team something happened and they couldn't pull it through and break your heart . . . I'm a Philly fan for every sport except for football. I always try to say that with the Steelers [being in the AFC], I can still root for the Eagles."He did, in fact, grow up as a Sixers fan, even as he starred for Reading High and the University of Connecticut. When his recent contract settlement was completed with the Oklahoma City Thunder (which was officially named yesterday), he told agent Andy Miller he wanted "to go home.""



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