Are the doctors and nurses on ‘The Pitt’ fans of the Sixers? The latest episode had another reference to the team.
The award-winning HBO series is set across the state, and features a lot of Pittsburgh sports references. But some hospital employees on the show might also be Sixers fans.
The Pitt might call the other side of the state home, but its characters are embracing one Philly team — the Sixers.
The show’s writing team love to include different local touches, like riffing on the local sports teams. One patient in Season 2 tried to brand himself with the Pittsburgh Penguins logo, and another patient ended up in the emergency department after dislocating his shoulder trying to catch an Oneil Cruz home run.
But with no NBA team in Pittsburgh, instead, on the latest episode, The Pitt is in on the Sixers. When night shift nurse Mateo (played by Jalen Thomas Brooks) returns for his shift in Episode 12 with “speaking of layups, what up, Dr. J?” to med student Victoria Javadi (Shabana Azeez), who, in-universe, has a TikTok where she also calls herself Dr. J.
But Javadi doesn’t understand the reference to Julius Erving, to nurse Dana’s shock and horror.
“Shame on you,” Dana (Katherine LaNasa) said. “Only the greatest Sixer to ever play the game.”
Joel Embiid also got a mention from Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) in Season 1, who jokingly nicknamed a patient with a basketball elbow fracture after the Sixers center.
The Penguins went on a long Thursday win streak this season on nights when the Pitt aired, going 6-0 before experiencing a loss. With nine games left to go in the Sixers’ regular season, including one game on a Thursday, maybe they can borrow a little of that magic. They need all the help they can get.