Liberty At Last: The Process Behind the 76ers' Bell-Ringing Ceremony

“Shut the f--- up,” Michael Rubin screamed. “Are you joking or serious?” It was the afternoon of April 24, mere hours before the Philadelphia 76ers looked to clinch a first-round series victory over the Miami Heat, and the team’s co-owner had just learned local rapper Meek Mill—jailed for months due to a judge’s highly-dubious rulings throughout a case littered with flawed legal proceedings—had finally been freed on bail.

Rubin’s pure jubilation punctuated his and countless others’ exhaustive efforts to seek justice for Meek. That enthusiasm was only paralleled by that of the Sixers’ fan base, erupting on social media at the news. With Meek’s “Dreams and Nightmares” serving as the soundtrack…