Matt Cord’s return to the Sixers’ public address mic has hit a nerve with fans who have spent years associating his voice with the franchise’s biggest moments, biggest names and biggest rushes of adrenaline.
For Sophie Trad, that connection started in an unexpected place. Her relationship with her now-ex-boyfriend ended, but the fandom that grew out of it stuck around.
Trad said she fell in love with Cord’s announcing style and began seeking out Sixers broadcasts without commentary so she could turn the volume up and listen to him instead. A St.
Louis native who moved to Philadelphia in 2025, she heard Cord in person for the first time that year and called it a full-circle moment. Now she goes to every game she can and hopes to work for the team one day.
Cord’s voice has meant just as much to other fans who have been following him for years. Brandon Taylor, 36, still remembers hearing Cord introduce Allen Iverson in a way that became part of his childhood: “A 6-foot guard from Georgetown, number three, All-llll-ennn-nnn Iverson-nnnnnn.” Taylor said he grew up during Iverson’s rise and that Cord’s call only made the moment feel bigger.
The reaction to Cord’s return was immediate once the Sixers announced last week that he would come back for the 2026-27 season after initially retiring following the 2025-26 season. Cord has been the team’s PA announcer since 1998, and fans were quick to celebrate the news. The timing only added to the buzz, with Philadelphia set to enter that season with Jaylen Brown and LeBron James.
For some fans, the memories tied to Cord are more specific than the superstars. Twenty-six-year-old Steve Hurd remembered being at Chickie’s and Pete’s for a Sixers game during the 2017-18 first-round series against the Miami Heat when he heard Cord’s voice before a trivia segment.
Hurd said he was thrilled to realize it was Cord, and the moment got even better when Cord asked him a trivia question. Hurd answered loudly enough to be heard, Cord asked, “What’d you say?”
and Hurd repeated himself and won a prize.
Other fans latched onto the way Cord handled role players. Twenty-one-year-old Averian Biton said his favorite memory was the way Cord pronounced Mike Scott’s name after Scott became a fan favorite following a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers midway through the 2018-19 season. Biton said he kept shouting Cord’s version of the name - “MIKE SSS-CCCC-OTT” - after Scott hit a go-ahead triple against the Brooklyn Nets in the first round.
For 19-year-old Rob Franklin, the defining Cord moment came with Seth Curry. Franklin attended the Sixers’ game against the Chicago Bulls on November 3, 2021, his first game in a decade.
Curry hit a clutch 3 to seal a 103-98 win, and Franklin said Cord’s call gave him chills. “I’ve always loved the echo thing he does,” Franklin said.
“It’s already amazing on TV but hearing it in person heightens the emotion tenfold.”
Cord’s return, though, won’t last long. The Sixers said he will be back for just this season and will also be involved in tryouts for the next PA voice.
Cord said, “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to return to the mic as PA announcer for 76ers for one more season. …
Natasha Washington pointed to Tyrese Maxey as another part of the reason Cord’s voice has become so woven into recent Sixers memories. Washington said she was at the Joel Embiid-less game against the 56-win Memphis Grizzlies on January 31, 2022, when Maxey delivered a go-ahead layup in overtime to finish off a 122-119 win. She said Cord “led the cheering cavalry” during what she considered her best home-game experience.
For Washington and countless others, Cord has been the soundtrack to home games for years. Now he’ll be back in the building for one more season as the Sixers chase their first championship since the 1982-83 season.
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