State Senator Jimmy Dillon Denies Old Tweets, Using Slurs on Basketball Player’s Account

The Democratic state senator representing part of Northeast Philadelphia has come under fire for past social media posts on his business account in which he used racial slurs, made homophobic remarks and promoted anti-Asian stereotypes.

Senator Jimmy Dillon, who runs Hoops 24-7 Basketball Academy clubs across the city, denied that he posted since-deleted tweets on the @Hoops24_7 account on X, formerly Twitter, between 2011 and 2015.

Among the posts there was one in which the account, in 2012, it referred to an individual as a N—, using an alternate spelling of the racist term. In another instance, the account tweeted at a porn star to “stop being gay and take a leave of absence to come party with us” in 2011. The account also posted anti-Asian stereotypes that equated all Asians with Chinese.

“As a coach, I work with kids to teach them the game of basketball and build skills both on and off the court. I’m not a huge fan of social media,” Dillon said in a statement. “For a basketball player who works with Hoops 24-7 to post something like that over a decade ago is the first I’ve heard of it and it doesn’t reflect my values.”

Dillon’s spokesman said he and the coaching staff had access to the account to post updates. However, Dillon posted in the first person during the period of the offensive posts, including photos and videos of himself and his family. The basketball account continues to post Dillon’s posts from the Senate to this day.

Dillon, 45, is a first-time lawmaker who is seeking a four-year term to represent Harrisburg’s Northeast Philadelphia district. He was elected in a 2022 special election to fill the remainder of Common Pleas Judge John Sabatina Jr.’s term.

The posts were highlighted and condemned by the Republican Senate Campaign Committee on Tuesday as Republicans hope to unseat Dillon in the Nov. 5 election. Dillon will face Republican candidate Joe Picozzi, a 29-year-old Northeast Philadelphia native who returned to the city after working on Capitol Hill for Republicans, including former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.), and in the private sector in Washington.

“Let’s be clear, this wasn’t a teenager making a mistake or a single comment taken out of context. This was a grown man in his 30s who freely used the N-word and made repeated disgusting jokes on social media,” said Cody Harbaugh, executive director of the SRCC. “We can only wonder what Jimmy Dillon is saying behind closed doors if this is the kind of language he would post publicly for the world to see.”

Dillon claims he did not apply this language 10 years ago and does not apply it now.

“This is typical, fake, Republican MAGA subversion,” said Mark Nevins, a spokesman for Dillon’s re-election campaign. “They take decades-old tweets that someone else wrote and throw them around like a bunch of maniacs. Meanwhile, they’re hoping we’re too stupid to see that at the same time they’re trying to take away women’s reproductive rights, block access to in vitro fertilization, and block common-sense gun violence legislation.”

“Sorry, weirdos. That’s not going to happen,” Nevins added.

Harbaugh also called on Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) and the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee to condemn Dillon’s earlier statements.

An SDCC spokesperson said Dillon’s “accomplishments speak for themselves” and that he continues to be a voice of support for Black and LGBTQ Pennsylvanians.

“He has nurtured and mentored young people from all walks of life throughout his career,” said SDCC spokeswoman Brittany Crampsie. “Someone else’s tasteless tweets from over a decade ago won’t change that.”

Picozzi declined to comment on the posts and said he was focused on “getting the job done for the residents of Northeast Philadelphia.”

Dillon, a father of two, continued to run the Hoops 24-7 Basketball Academy while serving as a state senator. The academy operates 27 gyms in the Philadelphia area. The Hoops 24-7 Facebook page often advertises state Senate events, and Account X often reposts Dillon’s official Senate account.

As a lawmaker, Dillon recently worked on bills that aim to allow landlords and utility companies to report payments to major credit agencies to facilitate tenants improve their creditworthiness.

Republicans control the state Senate 28-22. Democrats hope to escalate their hold on the state Senate, while Republicans hope to escalate their majority in the Nov. 5 election. choice.