Jason Kelce sang the national anthem at the 76ers game, but his return to the Eagles got the loudest ovation

Jason Kelce said moments before he was to perform the national anthem at the 76ers game that he was hoping he could entice the sell-out crowd at the Wells Fargo Center to join him in a sing-along to ease his burden.

Kelce’s plan didn’t quite pan out. Most fans, it seemed, wanted to hear the Eagles All-Pro center’s rendition. But it ultimately didn’t matter. He got through the two minutes unscathed, and even if he had botched the anthem, few in Philadelphia would have cared.

“I don’t think I’ve been nervous-nervous in years. I’m nervous-nervous right now,” Kelce said about two hours before he was to sing. “My knees were shaking out there during the sound checks. We’ll see how this goes.”

Was it Marvin Gaye at the 1983 NBA All-Star game? Well, no. Few have reached that bar. But it wasn’t a Carl Lewis-like disaster, either. Kelce kicked it up mid-tune with a growl, the arena erupted and he coasted the rest of the way, pointing to the rafters as he finished with “home of the brave.”

Philly will likely always be home for the 34-year-old, but he will definitely stay in the area for at least another year after announcing Friday that he was returning for a 12th season. Signs pointed in that direction, but Kelce said on Monday that he was “probably about as close as I’ve been the last couple years” to retiring.

Nevertheless, whether Kelce had announced he was done or coming back, he would have received a standing ovation before the Sixers-Nuggets game. He agreed to sing the anthem if $100,000 was raised for former Eagles teammate Connor Barwin’s Make The World Better foundation, which has helped fund the rebuilding of playgrounds in the city.

It worked, even if Kelce had trepidation about singing.

“I took him to [local station] ‘XPN once and he sang a couple Jason Isbell songs live on the radio,” Barwin said. “So I knew he could sing. The last two years it’s been hard for nonprofits to raise some money. We haven’t had the benefit concerts that we usually have the last couple years. So it’s tough.

“But to be able to raise $100,000 was huge, and really it was because he got involved and rallied a lot of people.”

Kelce has long offered his presence, if not his voice, to various causes related to the Eagles. He was the team’s nominee for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award last season. He didn’t win, but Kelce has long won over the hearts of Philly sports fans.

“It’s a special place. It’s a place that’s a die-hard sports town. Blue collar,” Kelce said. “Philadelphia might not want to hear this, but I grew up in Cleveland, and I think there are really a lot of similarities. Cleveland’s a hard-working town.”

Kelce was asked a few Sixers questions before the game, one about Ben Simmons and what it takes for professional athletes to survive playing in Philly. He addressed that topic in more depth last fall, but his message again was essentially that players “control the narrative.”

» READ MORE: The Eagles’ Jason Kelce has advice for Ben Simmons: ‘Just play better, man. This city will love you’

Of course, Kelce will always be embraced here. He’s the Super Bowl champion who delivered maybe the best parade speech ever. But the timing of the anthem was apropos three days after Kelce posted his announcement on social media after tipping a beer back from the keg Eagles coach Nick Sirianni sent to entice him to stay.

“The more I stepped back from the game the more it was really evident that I wanted to keep playing. I’m not done yet,” Kelce said. “I feel really good where the team is at — a great second half of the season. Obviously, the playoff game was not ideal, but there’s a lot of good things happening in the building.”

Earlier in the day, another good thing appeared to happen at the NovaCare Complex: the Eagles and free agent linebacker, and former Temple Owl and Camden native, Haason Reddick agreed on a three-year, $45 million contract.

Kelce will be his teammate for at least one of those years.

“I definitely feel like l have a close relationship with this city,” Kelce said. “I’ve been here for a long time, and I want to be here my entire career.”