Process finally paying off for 76ers fans after earning high spot on Fandom 250 rankings

After years of suffering, Philadelphia 76ers fans finally have something to cheer about this season.

For the first time in what feels like forever, Philadelphia 76ers fans are currently enjoying what has been an exciting 2017-18 season thanks to key young players in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons being healthy. While Simmons missed all of last year due to a foot injury, Embiid is finally showing he was worth taking a risk on back in 2014 when the Sixers selected him with the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Based off how this duo has looked so far this season, the future appears to be bright in Philadelphia with Embiid and Simmons, assuming both can manage to stay healthy, which sadly is always going to be on the back of minds for fans. Still, when seeing how competitive the Sixers have been this year to prove they are in fact capable of competing for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, fans are taking full advantage of all the enjoying surrounding this team, and thanks to their passion, the base was able to earn a high spot on this year’s FanSided’s Fandom 250 rankings.

Coming in at No. 61 (ahead of Philadelphia Eagles fans, who came in at No. 124), Philadelphia has always been known to have some of the most passionate sports fans in the country, and when seeing how patient they’ve had to be over the years with the Sixers, that wait is finally starting to payoff. For years, the fan base has adjusted to the whole “Trust The Process” mindset, and even though there were some frustrating seasons along the way, everything seems to finally be falling into place for Brett Brown‘s young team.

Here’s part of what they had to say about the Sixers coming in at No. 61 on the Fandom 250 rankings:

"#TrustTheProcess has become the rallying cry for 76ers fans everywhere and while the phrasing is exhaustively over-used in media coverage of the team, there really isn’t a better way to some up the fanbase’s passion and dedication.Sam Hinkie took over as General Manager of the Philadelphia 76ers right before the 2013 draft. For the next three years he meticulously pared dead weight off the roster, making a series of moves that sacrificed winning games in the present to increase his probability of landing a star through the NBA Draft and developing a young complimentary roster around them to win games in the future. That meant a team that often struggled to compete and a fanbase that was asked to stick with a difficult product to watch."

Most teams may feel frustrated towards the approach Sam Hinkie took over the years in which there were seasons the former General Manager didn’t mind losing since deep down, he knew it would benefit the Sixers in the long run when landing top talent in NBA Drafts. And when seeing how everything is working out better than expected with players like Embiid and Simmons, it’s safe to say Philadelphia fans are feeling better about all of the years of losing.

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They still have a long way to go when it comes to even coming close to some of the other top teams in the NBA such as the Golden State Warriors or Cleveland Cavaliers, but also keep in mind how the Sixers have made some of these games surprisingly competitive this year. At this rate, Philadelphia fans are built for a strong unit, and because of the approach the organization has taken over the years, there’s a good chance Sixers fans will continue to appear high on the Fandom 250 rankings for years to come.