The Sixers signed Donyell Marshall, a native of Reading, on Tuesday.

“I just want to say how excited I am to be part of an organization that I grew up rooting for,” Marshall said a day later. “It gives my family a chance to see me play more and to play for a team that’s up and coming. I think earlier in my career I’m not sure I would have been able to handle playing for the Sixers being that close to my family, but being a seasoned vet I think I’m very prepared for it and excited to come to a team that’s made plenty of moves to move in the right direction and have a good chance of winning.”

Marshall is and always has been a fan of the Sixers and the other Philly sports teams, with one exception. He abandoned the Eagles long ago in favor of the Steelers.

“When I grew up that’s when the Steelers won the four Super Bowls, and I like Lynn Swann and Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris and guys like that,” he said. “The funny thing is I tried so hard to root for the Eagles and it always seemed like every time they had a good team something happened that they would get there and just never pulled it through. They’d always break your heart.”

Can you really argue with that?

Marshall’s signing brings the Sixers roster to 14. They’ll likely take a few more to camp, which begins at Penn State on Sept. 30, but those players will most likely be for practice purposes only, not serious candidates for a roster spot.