Report: Sixers Sign Celtics Anthem Singer

The Philadelphia 76ers not only will have a new mascot, but also a new anthem signer who is a Celtics fan - and the daughter of a U.S. senator.

The Boston Herald says former American Idol contestant Ayla Brown has signed a deal with the Sixers to sing the national anthem at  Sixers' games.

Brown is as Boston as you can get. She is a former college basketball player at Boston College and the daughter of Sen. Scott Brown.

Ayla Brown has also sung the national anthem for the Boston Celtics, the Sixers' long-time rivals.

The controversy in Boston, the Herald says, is a conspiracy theory among some left-wing bloggers that Brown got the Sixers gig through her father's alleged connection to Apollo Global Management, one of the owners of the Sixers.

A source at the team told the Herald that wasn't true, and that the Sixers were impressed with Brown's signing on a YouTube video.

There are numerous videos of Brown singing at Celtics' games on YouTube, but it is unclear which video impressed the Sixers.

Brown made it to the final 24 round of contestants on "American Idol" in 2006, where she didn't impress Simon Cowell.

She is expected to debut with the Sixers on January 6th.