Nick Castellanos welcomes Paul George to Philly with pregame tribute — and gets a shout-out from the new Sixer

During batting practice before Tuesday’s series opener against the Dodgers, a number of Phillies players showed off the Nick Castellanos basketball jersey, a Phillies giveaway scheduled for July 14.

The jersey, which will be available for fans 14 and under, has Castellanos’ name and No. 8 on the back with an outline of the Philly skyline on the front. But in the time since the giveaway was first announced earlier this year, a new No. 8 has emerged in Philadelphia.

Castellanos now shares a number with the newest Philly basketball star — Paul George. George signed a four-year, $212 million contract with the 76ers, which was officially announced on Sunday. On Monday, on George’s Podcast P, he revealed his new number with the Sixers, No. 8.

In George’s honor, Castellanos took a piece of tape and wrote “George” on it, taping over his own name to welcome him to Philadelphia.

George reposted Castellanos’ tribute to his Instagram stories, captioning it “8 to 8 🫡.”

Is Castellanos aiming for Bryce Harper’s title as the city’s second-best panderer — behind Nick Sirianni, of course? Harper himself said Friday on Apple TV that he’s “pumped about Paul George coming to the Sixers, that’s awesome,” so he’s not going down without a fight. But Castellanos put in a strong entry here.