Josh Hart Recruited Kyle Lowry To Knicks: ‘Obviously That Didn’t Happen, So F**k Him’

During an interview with NBA reporter James Herbert of CBS Sports, Josh Hart said he recruited Kyle Lowry to the New York Knicks after the Charlotte Hornets bought out the veteran. 

Lowry, though, decided to sign with his hometown Philadelphia 76ers. 

“Yeah, I texted his ass,” Hart said. “I told him, ‘Pull up.’ Told him, ‘F— with us.’ But obviously that didn’t happen, so f— him.”

Lowry signed a $2.8 million contract with the Sixers. The NBA champion is averaging 7.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists with Philadelphia while shooting 41.2% from the field, 34.9% from beyond the arc and 94.1% from the free-throw line. 

The Sixers are 37-30 on the season. They are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

If the regular season ended today, Philadelphia would face Lowry’s old team, the Miami Heat, in the 7-8 play-in tournament game. 

Lowry is one of the smartest players in the NBA. The Villanova product had thoughts about how the Sixers were playing when he arrived.

“I see the game as a player, as a coach, as a general manager,” Lowry said. “I see the game at different levels. So for me it’s just about, ‘OK, this is where we need to get better.'” Often, he’s stressing small details: “Blocking out, being in the right spot, understanding the game plan, taking charges. Not even—if you don’t take a charge, just being in the right spot to stop the ball. Understanding who you are guarding, who you’re playing against. Understanding what the team is going to do.

“A charge is just as good as a blocked shot. And I think just being able to kind of tell people and help people, guide people where they should be and help them be there, it’s a big job. And for a guy like me, who’s communicative and loud and open and voices his opinion, it’s good for me and easy for me to do it.”

The Knicks and Sixers have played each other three times since Lowry signed with Philadelphia. New York is 2-1.