Sixers fans won’t have to imagine Matt Cord’s introduction of LeBron James.
The longtime voice of the Sixers, who retired in May after 28 years as the team’s public address announcer, is coming back for one final season.
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Cord had a trip to Ireland booked for October and had no intention to come back. But his final game — a 30-point loss to the New York Knicks on Mother’s Day that swept the Sixers out of the playoffs — was unsatisfying. Then the team signed James and former Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown, and suddenly Cord was getting calls to reconsider his decision to walk away.
One influential text came from Hall of Famer Allen Iverson.
“I got the text from Alan. He’s like, ‘I think you got one more left in you,’” Cord said on the Preston & Steve show Tuesday. “I was like, ‘Oh, man.’ Because I was really ready to retire.”
Iverson was among those to celebrate Cord’s return, along with current Sixers Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.
“You should’ve never left,” Embiid said in a video shared by the Sixers. “But it’s good to have you back.”
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Another factor was the Sixers hadn’t yet announced a replacement, no doubt due to the team’s desire for Cord to reconsider his decision. Just last month, Cord said he ran into Sixers co-owners David Blitzer and Josh Harris at a Tyrese Maxey Foundation event, where they asked Cord why he retired in the first place.
“I said I wanted to go out on top,” Cord said on Preston & Steve. “Some people stay too long in their jobs, and that was my thing — let’s go out on top. I did, and now I’m coming back.”
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Cord’s voice has served as the in-game soundtrack for the Sixers dating back to the Iverson era.
“A. Six. Foot. Guaaarrrrdddd frooom Georgetown. Number three. Allllleeeeen I-verson,” Cord beamed as he introduced Iverson’s return to the Sixers in 2009. But Cord’s favorite introduction has always been for Jumaine Jones, the former first-round pick who only spent three seasons in Philly.
“Six-eight, frrroooom Georgia. Number thirty TWO! Jumaine! Jones!” Cord told the Inquirer in March.
As for how he’ll introduce James when he takes the court next month, Cord offered previewed what it might sound like during an appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic last month.
In addition to returning as the Sixers PA announcer, Cord also hosts Pierre Robert’s former midday slot on 93.3 WMMR, his third stint at the rock station dating back to the 1990s. Prior to that, he hosted the morning show on 102.9 WMGK, a slot he filled in 2023 following the retirement of John DeBella.
“It’s a long day,” Cord said of hosting a show and working Sixers games. “But it’s going to be a little different this year.”