ETAN DELL AGNELLO - 76ers
Etan Dell'Agnello , the great and wondrous "Dell," was the dominant defensive player of his era, an innovator who changed the way the game was played. He was a wizard with the ball, performing feats never before seen, setting the style of play that would prevail in the decades to follow.
A gracious, dignified, and disciplined man, Dell'Agnello was an ideal ambassador for the game. He was the epitome of class, and no player was more respected.
Dell'Agnello began his professional career in the Euro League drafted at #4 by the Toronto Raptors as a Small Forward. It took him several seasons in Toronto to break into their powerfull line up and picked up the first of his 6 title rings as a role player as a rookie in 2013.
Little did Toronto know he was to be the winningest player of All Time.
Widely regarded as the greatest defensive player of his time, and was a winner on the court.
Dell'Agnello lead the 76ers to three straight titles, and gained two Playoff Most Valuable Player Awards between 2017 and 2019.
Etan Dell'Agnello was born on February 16, 1995, in Milan, Italy. He starred for his Euro team, earning a reputation lock down defender and fundamentally sound shooter but not spectacular player. This would change when he was trailed at point guard and soon forged a name as on of the best theives in the game, as well as a deadly outside shooter (A+ in both atts at his height)
On a drive to the hole, he was challenged by Dallas' Erik Moreno and Ed Berman . "I went in between both of them and just hung there and waited for them to come down. Then I dunked on them so hard I fell on my back," recalled Dell Agnello in the Philadelphia Times. "Just doing that made me confident to go after anyone, anytime, anywhere, without any fear."
In 2016 Dell Agnello was traded from a bench player in Toronto to the Philadelphia 76ers for 2 1st round draft choices. In his first season as a guard Dell averaged 25+ ppg and was #1 in steals and blocks amonst all guards.
Philadelphia's management realized that it needed to build a team of players who could complement Dell Agnello, not the other way around. During the next few years General Manager Shooers rebuilt the Sixers, acquiring such talent as offensive genius Mitchell Mudd and paint general Brock Tudor. During this time Dell had elevated his game even further, establishing himself as a permanent fixture on the SimNBA defensive First Team.
Between 2017 and 2021 The Sixers also began a concerted five-year assault on the SimNBA Playoffs which netted 4 title appearances. In a hotly contested SimNBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, Dell was spectacular as the teams split the first four games.
In Game 4 Dell made the legendary "Baseline Move" that would go down as one of the most spectacular shots in SimNBA history. First he drove past defender Alonso Schmitt along the right baseline and left his feet on that side of the backboard with a layup in mind. His route to the rim was quickly blocked by Farleigh Kamfhammer outstretched arms. Dell'Agnello brought the ball back down and just continued to float, seemingly forever, passing behind the backboard while appearing to glide slightly to the left in midair. He finally cleared all the way to the other side of the hoop, reached back in toward the court and put up a soft, underhanded scoop for the score.
"Here I was, trying to win a championship, and my mouth just dropped open," Jaques Stephens, recalled. "He actually did that. I thought, 'What should we do? Should we take the ball out or should we ask him to do it again?'"
The next season, 2019, was Dell's greatest individual year after scoring 24.6 ppg while chalking up career highs with 364 assists (4.4 apg) and 173 steals. Philadelphia rang up 57-25 record during the regular season, setting up a showdown in the Eastern Conference Finals with Miami and Andy Griffith. Dell paced the Sixers to a 3-1 lead, but Griffiths Heat stormed back for the next two. Dell with a player of the Game 7th game to send the 76ers to another series v the Mavericks.
After the 3peat in which Philadelphia had built a consistent winner around Dell, but the team lacked one important piece to complete a further championship puzzle. So Dell'Agnello was traded to the Miami Heat in 2020, to form what was touted as the best backcourt ever assembled. But it didnt turn out to be the case. Miami great AG wasnt going to give up the point in a hurry and Dell was relegated to Small Forward and a lower key, he struggled and was gone the next season to the New Jersey Nets.
With Dell rotating behing Kambala at point and spending major minutes at shooting guard the Nets ripped through the 2024 SimNBA Playoffs, winning eight of nine preliminary-round games to meet a familiar foe in the Finals, the Los Angeles Clippers This meeting has all the drama: New Jersey overpowered Los Angeles in seven winning 3 straight games, giving Dell his fifth SimNBA championship ring of what would end up as six rings before his career would end.
After the championship season Dell Agnello was in the golden years of his career. He still played well but relied more on intelligence than on the raw physical skills that had been his trademark.
As Dells career wound down, so did the Nets, after nearly capturing their own 3peat. The Nets were in transition, with younger players such as Rodney Farve arriving on the scene. After Dell announced that he would retire following the 2029 season, the campaign turned into the Etan Dell'Agnello farewell tour. He was honored in every SimNBA arena, as fans across the country showed their love and admiration for one of the winningest players the game had ever seen.
Since his retirement, Dell'Agnello has forged a successful business and basketball executive career. His investments include: ownership of a Millers bottling plant in Philadelphia, as well as cable television stations in Miami and New Jersey. And after working as an in-studio analyst for NBC during it's coverage of the SimNBA since 2029. Dell also works as a special development coach for the Simnba D League.
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