Mike Muscala played in 47 games for the 76ers, but it was his one game while playing for the Thunder on Aug. 12, 2020, that will always make him a legend in Philadelphia.
Why? A direct line can be traced to Muscala’s clutch shooting in that game and the 76ers ending up with Tyrese Maxey in the draft.
Here’s the story of why Muscala is now a folk hero in Philadelphia.
MORE: Why Tyrese Maxey fell in the 2020 NBA Draft
Why 76ers fans have Mike Muscala to thank for Tyrese Maxey
Muscala’s Thunder team played the Heat back in 2020 in the second-to-last regular season game of the NBA bubble. It was a largely meaningless game for both teams but had huge implications for the upcoming draft.
The Thunder owed a draft pick to the 76ers, but it came with protections. The Thunder would keep the pick if it landed 1-20. If it was in the 21-30 range, then it would go to the 76ers.
That protection came down to the wire. The Thunder and Heat were in lock step in the standings with only two games to play. If the Thunder beat the Heat, then they would give that pick to the 76ers. If the Thunder lost, then they would likely keep their pick.
Leading by three points with only 34 seconds remaining, the Heat looked poised to win the game and prevent the 76ers from acquiring that pick, but Muscala hit a corner 3 for the Thunder to tie it late. The Heat came down and scored to regain a two-point lead. Muscala hit another 3 with five seconds left to give the Thunder an unlikely one-point win.
For those not familiar or don’t remember, Mike Muscala hit these two dagger 3’s in a meaningless bubble game for the Thunder, securing the pick to us in Philly… Which turned into Tyrese Kendrid Maxeypic.twitter.com/UJzVFkHvOI https://t.co/ZbIUkt0t7b
— Josh Reynolds (@JoshReynolds24) November 13, 2023
With the win, the Heat drafted No. 20 and the Thunder sent their No. 21 pick to the 76ers, which was used to select Maxey in a draft day steal.
The Tyrese Maxey pick changed hands multiple times
Putting aside the 20 teams that passed on Maxey, there were a ton of teams that would have had an opportunity to draft Maxey with that No. 21 pick. It was passed around a ton in the years preceding that draft, and the 76ers narrowly managed to recover from what would have been one of the worst trades in their team’s history.
The Thunder originally traded their first-round pick to the 76ers in exchange for Jerami Grant, all the way back in 2016. The 76ers then traded it to the Magic for the No. 25 pick in the 2017 draft. They used that pick to select Anžejs Pasečņiks, a Latvian player who never made it in the NBA.
Luckily for the 76ers, they got that Thunder pick back in 2019 as part of a trade sending Markelle Fultz to the Magic. Maxey was close to being a star in Orlando while Pasečņiks would have been forever known as the guy that the 76ers traded away Maxey for. Instead, Maxey ended up in Philadelphia.
Tyrese Maxey knows the history of his pick and appreciates Mike Muscala
The legend of Muscala’s shooting has become a part of 76ers lore. Maxey is reminded of it all of the time, as he told reporters after his first 50-point game.
“I hear it so often,” Maxey said. “Bub (team security) reminds me at least twice a month. I’ve seen it and it’s great. That’s cool. I mean, that’s just ironic, I guess. Shoutout to Mike. I like being here.”
Fate worked out in the end, and Maxey blossomed into a huge fan favorite in Philadelphia.
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