Sixers CEO Gives Pep Talk At Salvation Army Awards Ceremony
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- At the Salvation Army "Expect Change" awards at the Army's Kroc Center in Camden, people and businesses were recognized for their impact on the community. The crowd also got a pep talk on life and sports from a key player in the 76ers front office.
Philadelphia 76ers CEO Scott O'Neil, who gave the keynote address, talked about why the club loves Camden, where it has a state of the art practice facility, and shared insights on Coach Brett Brown, which might prove useful to those of us not on his roster.
"He had the letters W-M-I written on the top of all of his notepads and all of the white boards all over the place," O'Neill said.
The crowd wondered.
"Does anybody have any idea [what those letters stand for]? I didn't either for about a year, I was staring at it," O'Neill said. "What's Most Important. Isn't that great?"
For O'Neil, it's family and faith.
"And I would invite you in the next week or so to focus on what's most important," he said. "Then, ask yourself, 'Am I spending time on what's most important?'"
Then, to the delight of everyone, O'Neil turned to the young 76ers - average age 21 - and its emerging goal to make the playoffs this year.
"We always start with character and good teammates," he said. "It certainly helps to be 7-foot-2, 280. We have one of those named Joel Embiid."
Or think about point guard Ben Simmons.
"Six-foot-10 massive mound of granite barreling down the lane," O'Neill said, "and it's pretty special."
The 2017 Expect Change Award recepients included:
- Outstanding Corporate Volunteer Partner - Campbell Soup Company
-Outstanding Foundation Partner - Horizon Foundation for New Jersey
-Outstanding Community Partner - Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson
-Outstanding Individual Partner - Frank Robertson
-Outstanding Service - Majors Paul and Alma Cain of The Salvation Army
