#RaiseTheCat

Less than a month before the All Star Game, which is notoriously the halftime of NBA regular season, we can start to give some judgments already. And among other news, confirmations and surprises, there are the Philadelphia 76ers. Partly because of Joel Embiid explosion, which after missing his entire rookie season for an injury, he becoming the devastating player everyone expected. But more than this, all the team - also without last draft’s 1st pick Ben Simmons - is improving its game, taking Philly to an unexpected 15-27 record, with a 7-3 to start the new year.

Winning all these games, Embiid and teammates gave the opportunity to their supporters to hold on to a tradition began last year, the #RaiseTheCat. Which mainly consists in getting photographed while celebrating a “dub” raising his own cat, just like the famous scene from The Lion King. As many social trends, also this one began quite randomly when Twitter user @GipperGrove celebrated a Sixers’ win being attacked by his own feline. The thing started to pick up steam, especially when Ben Simmons himself got involved and celebrated his teammates’ win with his cat on his shoulders.

From there, things started to become viral and after Philly’s wins - which were starting to grow - Sixers’ fans started to raise their cats and pets, and sometimes also dogs got their moment of glory. Of course, Embiid, Simmons and all the city of Philadelphia would raise to the sky something far more important than a pet, but in the meantime, while they wait to become even more competitive and finally complete “The Process”, they’re at least becoming one of the most funny and hyping franchises in the league. The hype is rising more and more and, as it seems, all the cats of Philadelphia are too.