When Boston traded out of the top spot of the NBA Draft down to No. 3, essentially passing on Markelle Fultz, the Washington guard didn't get mad. Instead, his first thought was about food.
In an article he wrote on The Players' Tribune released hours after he was taken by Philadelphia with the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday, Fultz says his trainer, Keith Williams, was the person who told him of the blockbuster trade and he immediately scrambled to Google to find out about Chick-fil-A locations in the area.
Then Keith hit me up and said, "New plan. Philly." I was just waking up. So I was like, "O.K., cool. Do they have Chick-fil-A there?"
A crispy chicken sandwich for breakfast. It's kind of like my good luck charm. Keith never got back to me about that important question. So I found out for myself. I googled it immediately. Philly does have Chick-fil-A. It has six, actually. Seven if you count the one at the airport. Boston has zero Chick-fil-As, for what it's worth.
Future endorsement? Maybe. But by the looks of it, Fultz seriously loves him some Chick-fil-A in the mornings. So much so, in fact, that Philly had sandwiches waiting for him when he showed up to the team's training facility.
Anyway, guess what happened when I showed up to the Sixers training facility? They'd ordered Chick-fil-A. It was there waiting for me on a table. For real. A bunch of sandwiches.
I don't know how they knew, but they knew.
And I know it's not a big deal, but a little part of me was thinking, Respect. They did their research.
Maybe Boston would have been a great landing spot for Fultz. But the trade that essentially sent to him to Philly gives him a better opportunity to make an impact right away, and most importantly: his taste palate will remain happy for years to come.
