Nerlens Noel has yet to suit up for the Philadelphia 76ers, but has already begun endearing himself to one of the league’s most cantankerous fan bases. In an effort to promote his goal of establishing a charity 5K going forward, Noel ran – or jogged, more likely – through various spots of Philly today made famous by Rocky Balboa.
UPDATE: Here’s a photo of Noel on the Rocky steps:
https://twitter.com/missmeganlu/status/510522818262740993
PREVIOUSLY: Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer offers the insight on Noel’s “workout,” part of a shoot for a coming feature on NBA TV.
A camera crew will track Noel as he works out at 11 a.m., goes through a shootaround session at noon, and grabs lunch. Starting between 1 and 1:30, Noel will run at the various spots around the city that Stallone used in his movies’ iconic training sequences, including the Italian Market, Independence Hall, and Kelly Drive. Noel’s “run” will culminate around 3 p.m. at the Art Museum, where 100 to 150 middle-school and high school students will join him as he sprints up the steps. Then everyone will have Papa John’s pizza, since Papa John’s is one of the event’s sponsors.
Noel’s plan, according to a person close to him, is to use Friday’s event as a springboard for an annual “Nerlens Noel Rocky Run 5K” to raise money for charity.
If his schedule held, Noel has completed his run by now. There’s been no word whether or not he was wearing a headband and a too-small, extremely gray sweatsuit, or if he was blocking imaginary shots throughout his exercise. It’s safe to say that Noel took it much easier than Stallone, though – he’ll be doing plenty of running during the regular season, and reconstructed ACLs aren’t conducive to long runs anyway.
Kudos to Noel for establishing himself as a local Philanthropist at such a young age. Let’s hope the publicity gleaned from his run helps Noel set his goal of hosting an annual 5K.
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