Matt Cord is ready to retire — thanks to Marc Zumoff — after a 28-year career that included auditioning for his own job

With just a tick over two minutes left in the first half of the 76ers’ Play-In Tournament victory over the Orlando Magic, a familiar face was shown on the massive video board suspended over the court. It was accompanied by an even more familiar, iconic introduction.

“AND FINALLY,” Sixers public address announcer Matt Cord’s voice boomed, the crowd knowing what was coming next. “A 6-FOOT GUARD FROM GEORGETOWN. NUMBER THREE. ALLEEEEEN I-VERSOOON.”

The cheers began at “6-foot” — just as they did 25 years ago when Allen Iverson willed the Sixers to the NBA Finals. Cord was then in just his third year as the team’s announcer, but he had already crafted much of his signature, electric style.

Now, after nearly three decades, the Sixers will need to find a new voice.

Cord, 66, announced in March that his 28th season with the Sixers would be his last. Immediately, clips of his legendary calls and support from fans flooded social media. At every home game since, colleagues and fans have thanked Cord and shared some of their favorite moments from his tenure.

“It was all very humbling,” Cord said last week, ahead of the Sixers’ first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics. “I was like, ‘Are you kidding me? All these people and the different stories. … It makes me feel like I’m pretty special and blessed.”

The Sixers and the Celtics are tied 1-1 after Tuesday night’s win in Boston, but Cord is still prepping to call his final game. With the series moving to Philadelphia, it is possible the next two home games are the legendary announcer’s last, but the Sixers can guarantee him at least one more night on the mic if they win another game.

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Cord’s retirement, in a few ways, mimics that of longtime Sixers television announcer Marc Zumoff. In 2021, Zumoff announced he would hang up his headset after 27 years in the booth. With the beloved play-by-play commentator being just 65 at the time, the news came as a surprise to most — including the team’s PA voice.

“It was kind of out of nowhere,” Cord said. “We were like, ‘How come?’ He’s certainly not old and he’s still great.”

In January, the two were asked to lend their iconic voices to the 2001 Sixers reunion night. Cord was tasked with introducing the players while Zumoff emceed the event. Throughout the course of the game, the announcers got the chance to catch up.

“You could go to any NBA team and you wouldn’t miss a beat,” Cord recalled saying to Zumoff. “You can just go back to work if you wanted … I mean, you really went out on top.

“You know what? That’s what I want to do,” Cord said.

It takes a certain amount of guts to [retire now], because he’s still flying high.

Cord’s decision had been mounting for awhile, mostly because of the role’s significant time commitment. Including travel to the arena and pre-production, Cord spends around eight hours working each Sixers home game. With 41 home games, not including possible playoff games, the schedule has become increasingly taxing in recent years — especially since the Sixers are not his day job. Cord also hosts the midday show on WMMR, replacing Pierre Robert.

However, it was talking to “Zoo” that tipped the scale.

“It takes a certain amount of guts to [retire now], because he’s still flying high,” said Zumoff. “He is still at the top of his game. The inclination would be, ‘People know me as the public address voice of the Sixers. It’s a great gig. I’m sitting there in the front row watching the world’s greatest athletes. I’m getting paid for it. Why should I leave?’ … You’re leaving on your own terms and, as a performer and as a human being, it is absolutely the best way to exit any kind of a gig.”

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Cord, like the players he’s introducing, admittedly gets a little more amped for the playoffs. However, he still attacks every night with the intensity of a Game 7 no matter the circumstances … even during the down years.

“I’ll be going to a game one night, and we’ll be playing Washington — a bad team,” said Cord, whose voice is featured in 2K’s NBA video games. “They’re like, ‘Boy, bet you don’t want to do this.’ I always say, ‘I did a season once where we won 10 total games. So anything’s easy.’”

You’re still on a microphone, you’re still entertaining. ... I just made those games special.

The Sixers went a combined 75-243 over a four-season stretch from 2013-17, including that 10-win season in 2015-16. As the team looked to tank for draft position, the era dubbed The Process saw the Sixers roll out starting lineups filled with players who would likely be found near the bottom of most NBA rosters.

Still, Cord performed.

“You’re still on a microphone, you’re still entertaining. That’s the way I looked at it,” said Cord. “I always say there’s somebody in this building right now that’s never seen a game before. I just made those games special. Like, ‘[Isaiah Canaan] CANNONBALL; TONY WROTEN!’ I tried to, when I say their names, say it like they’re an NBA All-Star.”

There has been a lot of debate over the success or failure of The Process. Although the Sixers have made the playoffs eight of the last nine seasons, they have not advanced past the second round. Outside of the plan’s architect, former general manager Sam Hinkie, the main figure in the debate has been Joel Embiid, who has put together a Hall-of-Fame-worthy career despite consistently being injured come playoff time. This year, Embiid is out after undergoing an appendectomy.

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Still, Embiid re-energized the franchise. For Cord, whose trademark energy always mixed well with Embiid’s larger-than-life personality, this especially rings true. For a newer generation of fans, Cord’s introduction for the Sixers big man has become as iconic as Iverson’s once was — even if some fans still have a soft spot for his Jumaine Jones call.

“I love the guy,” said Cord. “I’ve always said it’s one of my favorite names to say. ‘SEVEN-TWO FROM CAMEROON. JOEL “THE PROCESS” EMBIIIIID.’

“One of my [career] highlights was when he won the MVP award in 2023. … I got to introduce [the award] on court. It was live on ESPN. We introduced [NBA commissioner] Adam Silver. It was really an honor.”

The biggest wrinkle in Cord’s story with the Sixers came in 2011, when he was taken off the mic for one season.

After Comcast-Spectacor sold the franchise to Josh Harris and David Blitzer, the new ownership group looked to revamp the team’s entire look and feel. Then-CEO Adam Aron became engrossed by nonbasketball matters, polling fans on what mascot should replace Hip-Hop and convincing American Idol contestant Ayla Brown to sing the national anthem before games. He also fired Cord, replacing him with longtime CBS anchor Tom Lamaine.

We love our announcers [in Philadelphia] … They become members of the family.

After one year though, Aron moved on from Lamaine and the Sixers held a tryout where anyone could audition for the open PA role. Cord, who had been relegated to working for the team’s website, showed up to win back his old job.

“There were probably 150 people from all walks of life there,” said Cord. “God bless them — younger people, older people, females, males. They’re all screaming and trying. It was pretty funny.”

After vying against contestants mostly doing bad impressions of himself, Cord won his old job back. Fans, including some who had created Facebook pages devoted to bringing the announcer back, were delighted by the news. Shortly after, Aron told Cord, “You will have this job forever.”

“We were at the Sixers Youth Gala two years ago,” said Cord. “[Aron] went up to my wife and said, ‘The biggest mistake I ever made was with Matt. You know, that’ll never happen again. I’ve done everything in my career. I’ve only made one mistake.’”

If the Sixers hold additions this time, Cord will not be there.

A successor has yet to be officially announced, but one name to keep an eye out for is Rob Strauss, the Wilmington Blue Coats public address announcer who has filled in for Cord in the past.

One thing is for sure, Cord does not want to get in the way of the team’s next voice — another reason for why he is retiring now. He wants to help usher in the new PA announcer, similar to how Zumoff handed off the play-by-play reins to Kate Scott after his departure.

“We love our announcers [in Philadelphia] … They become members of the family,” said Zumoff. “And when somebody new comes into the family, it takes a little while for them to be accepted and eventually loved. I’m confident that will happen with Matt’s replacement. I know it’s already happened with Kate.

“Matt and I will just be very happy sitting in a diner somewhere, having breakfast, talking about retirement and kind of winking at each other, knowing that we got out at the right time and that we were replaced with some younger people who are doing an excellent job and carrying on the Sixers tradition.”