So the Sixers stayed up late, sat at pick No. 22, and walked away with a 20-year-old guard out of Alabama who told the whole city he's "a dog" and that the first thing he wants when he lands here is a cheesesteak.
Be honest. We're already in.
If you blinked during the draft, missed the pick, or just woke up confused about why everyone in your group chat is yelling "PHILON" — here's everything you actually need to know.
Who is this guy
Labaron Philon Jr. Mobile, Alabama. 20 years old. A point guard who scores like a shooting guard and apparently has zero chill, which is the most Philly thing about him already.
He went to Baker High in Mobile and dropped 2,334 points in three seasons. As a junior he averaged 35 a game and got named Alabama Mr. Basketball. Thirty-five. In high school. Then he transferred to Link Academy in Missouri for his senior year because why not make it harder on yourself.
Then he went to Alabama and got better.
The college numbers are stupid
Quick history. Philon declared for the 2025 draft, then pulled his name out and went back to Alabama for his sophomore year.
Smartest decision he's ever made.
His scoring jumped more than 10 points a game. Here's the line:
- 22.0 points a game (12th in the entire country)
- 5.0 assists
- 3.5 rebounds
- 50.1% from the field
- Right around 40% from three
He was the only Division I player to average 22 and 5 while shooting 50% from the floor. The only one. Nobody else in the country did that.
He scored in double figures in 30 of 32 games. Twenty-plus in 21 of them. Dropped a career-high 35 twice — once on Arkansas in February, once in the Sweet 16 against Michigan, on the biggest stage, when it mattered. He carried Alabama to the Sweet 16 and finished the year as a Third-Team All-American and First-Team All-SEC.
Guy's got 1,117 career points at Alabama. That's top-50 all-time at a program that's had real dudes.
Why this fits
This is the part that should get you out of your seat.
The Sixers backcourt is already absurd. Tyrese Maxey made All-NBA Third Team. VJ Edgecombe finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. And now they add a 20-year-old who ESPN's Fran Fraschilla straight up said "could end up being the best point guard in this draft."
The best point guard in the draft. At pick 22.
If that's even close to true, this is the kind of pick people point back to in three years like "yeah, we knew."
Oh, and one more thing for context: this is the first pick of the Mike Gansey era. Gansey took over as president of basketball operations from Daryl Morey. So Philon isn't just a draft pick — he's the first statement of a new regime. No pressure.
The vibes are immaculate
He told Sixers fans they're "getting a dog." He said he's ready to grab "a Philly cheesesteak." His parents raised him on "when you're not working, somebody else is."
A guy who works obsessively, talks his talk, and wants a cheesesteak before he even unpacks?
This city is going to adopt him in about four minutes.
Should you actually be excited
Yes.
Look — it's pick 22. We're not promising you a Hall of Famer. Late first-round guards are a coin flip and we've all been burned before (we know, we remember, we don't want to talk about it).
But the upside here is real. Elite college scorer. Real point guard skills. Withdrew from the draft and came back to dominate instead of coasting. Slides into a young core that already won games. And he's got that thing — the chip, the mouth, the work ethic — that just plays here.
We've seen what this city does when a guy gives it everything. Philon sounds like a guy who's about to give it everything.
So welcome to Philly, Labaron.
Get the cheesesteak. Wit or witout, we'll fight about it later.
Sources: The Philadelphia Inquirer, CBS Philadelphia, PhillyVoice, Inquirer draft live blog, Wikipedia, ESPN.
