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Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia76erslogo
Information
Conference Eastern Conference NBA Eastern Conference
Division Atlantic
Founded 1946
History Syracuse Nationals
1946–1963
Philadelphia 76ers
1963–present
Arena Wells Fargo Center
City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Team Colors Blue, Red, Silver, Black, Navy, White
                             
Media Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia
The Comcast Network
WPSG
WPEN
Owner(s) Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment
General Manager Daryl Morey
Head Coach Nick Nurse
Uniform Sponsor Crypto.com
Affiliate Delaware Blue Coats
Championships
NBA NBA Championship logo 3 (1955, 1967, 1983)
Conference Conference Championship logo 5 (1977, 1980, 1982, 1983, 2001)
Division 12 (1950, 1952, 1955, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1977, 1978, 1983, 1990, 2001, 2021)
Other
Retired numbers 11 (2, 3, 4, 6, 6, 10, 13, 15, 24, 32, 34)
Official Website sixers.com
Uniforms
PHI AE PHI IE PHI SE
Home court
PHI CT 1

The Philadelphia 76ers (colloquially known as the Sixers) are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division and play at Wells Fargo Center.

Founded in 1946 and originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA, and one of only eight (out of 23) to survive the league's first decade.

The 76ers have had a prominent history, with many Hall of Fame players having played for the organization, including Dolph Schayes, Hal Greer, Wilt ChamberlainChet Walker, Billy CunninghamJulius ErvingMaurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones, Moses MaloneCharles Barkley, George McGinnis, and Allen Iverson. They have won three NBA championships, with their first coming as the Syracuse Nationals in 1955. The second title came in 1967, a team which was led by Chamberlain. The third title came in 1983, won by a team led by Erving and Malone. The 76ers have only been back to the NBA Finals once since then: in 2001, where they were led by Iverson and lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the second championship of the Lakers' three-peat.

Chamberlain, Erving, Malone, Iverson, and Joel Embiid have been named the NBA's Most Valuable Player while playing for the 76ers, for a total of seven MVP awards.

Home arenas

Syracuse Nationals

  • State Fair Coliseum (1949–1951)
  • Onondaga War Memorial (1951–1963)

Philadelphia 76ers

Franchise History

1946–1963: Syracuse Nationals

SyracuseNationalslogo1

Syracuse Nationals logo 1946–1949.

In 1946, Italian immigrant Daniel Biasone sent a $5,000 check to the National Basketball League offices in Chicago, and the Syracuse Nationals became the largely Midwest-based league's easternmost team, based in the Upstate New York city of Syracuse. The Syracuse Nationals began play in the NBL in the same year professional basketball was finally gaining some legitimacy with the rival Basketball Association of America that was based in large cities like New York and Philadelphia. While in the NBL with teams largely consisting of small Midwestern towns, the Nationals put together a 21–23 record, finishing in fourth place. In the playoffs, the Nationals would be beaten by the fellow upstate neighbor Rochester Royals in four games.

In their second season, 1947–48, the Nationals struggled, finishing in fifth place with a 24–36 record. Despite their record they made the playoffs, and were swept by the Anderson Duffey Packers in 3 straight games.

Several teams began to leave the NBL for the BAA as the foundation for an absorption was laid. The Nationals "recipe for success" began by recruiting Leo Ferris. Staying in the NBL, Ferris signed Al Cervi to be player coach and outbid the New York Knicks for the services of Dolph Schayes who made his professional debut, leading the Nationals to a winning record for the first time with a record of 40–23. In the playoffs the Nationals would make quick work of the Hammond Calumet Buccaneers, winning the series in 2 straight games. However, in the semifinals the Nationals would fall to the Anderson Duffey Packers for the second straight season in four games. In 1949, the Nationals were one of seven NBL teams that were absorbed by the Basketball Association of America to form the NBA.

The Nationals were an instant success in the NBA, winning the Eastern Division in the 1949–50 season, with a league best record of 51–13. In the playoffs the Nationals continued to play solid basketball, beating the Philadelphia Warriors in 2 straight. Moving on to the Eastern Finals, the Nationals battled the New York Knickerbockers, beating their big city rivals in a 3-game series. In the NBA Finals, the Nationals faced fellow NBL alums the Minneapolis Lakers. In Game 1 of the Finals the Nationals lost just their second home game of the season 68–66. The Nationals did not recover, as they fell behind 3–1 before falling in six games.

SyracuseNationalslogo

Syracuse Nationals logo 1949–1963.

Despite several teams leaving the NBA for the National Professional Basketball League before the 1950–51 season, the Nationals decided to stay put. In their second NBA season, 1950–51, the Nationals played mediocre basketball all season, finishing in fourth place with a record of 32–34. However, in the playoffs the Nationals played their best basketball of the season as they stunned the first place Philadelphia Warriors in two straight, taking Game 1 on the road in overtime 91–89. In the Eastern Finals the Nationals were beaten by the New York Knickerbockers in a hard-fought 5-game series, losing the finale by just 2 points.

Cervi, playing less and coaching more, emphasized a patient offense and a scrappy defense, which led the league in the 1951–52 season by yielding a stingy 79.5 points per game as the Nationals won the Eastern Division with a solid 40–26 record. In the playoffs the Nationals knocked off the Warriors again in a 3-game series. However, in the Eastern Finals, the Nationals fell to the Knickerbockers again, dropping the series in four games.

The Nationals would finish in second place in a hard-fought 3-way battle for first place in the Eastern Division for the 1952–53 season, with a record of 47–24. In the playoffs the Nationals would face the Boston Celtics dropping Game 1 at home 87–81. Needing a win in Boston to keep their hopes alive, the Nationals would take the Celtics deep into overtime before losing in quadruple OT 111–105, in what remains the longest playoff game in NBA history.

The Nationals acquired Alex Groza, and Ralph Beard as the Indianapolis Olympians folded leaving the NBA with just 9 teams for the 1953–54 season. Once again the Nationals would battle for the Division title falling two games short with a 42–30 record. In the playoffs the Nationals would win all four games of a round robin tournament involving the three playoff teams from the East. In the Eastern Finals the Nationals would stay hot beating the Celtics in 2 straight games. However, in the NBA Finals the Nationals would lose to the Lakers in a hard-fought 7-game series where the 2 teams alternated wins throughout.

1954–55: First NBA championship

With the NBA struggling financially and down to just 8 teams Nationals owner during the 1954–55 season, Biasone suggested the league limit the amount of time taken for a shot thus speeding up a game that often ended with long periods of teams just holding the ball and playing keep away. Biasone and Nationals' general manager Ferris calculated a 24-second shot clock would allow at least 30 shots per quarter speeding up the game and increasing scoring. The Shot Clock was an instant success as scoring was up 14 points per game league wide. In the first season of the shot clock the Nationals would take first place in the East with a 43–29 record. After a first round bye, the Nationals would beat the Boston Celtics in four games to reach the NBA Finals for the second straight season. In the finals, the Nationals would get off to a fast start, led by forward Schayes, taking the first two games at home against the Fort Wayne Pistons. However, as the series moved to Fort Wayne the Pistons would spark back to life taking all three games to take a 3–2 series lead. Back in Syracuse for Game 6 on the Nationals kept Championship hopes alive by beating the Pistons 109–104 to force a seventh game at home. Game 7 would be as tight as the series as George King sank a free throw to give the Nationals a 92–91 lead in the final seconds. King would then steal the inbound pass to clinch the NBA Championship for the Nationals.

1955–1963: Post-championship seasons and final years in Syracuse

Coming off their NBA Championship the Nationals struggled during the 1955–56 season, needing a tiebreaker over the Knickerbockers to avoid finishing in last place and make the playoffs with a 35–37 record. However, in the playoffs the Nationals would stun the Boston Celtics winning the first round series in three games by taking the final two games. In the Eastern Finals, the Nationals played solid basketball again as they pushed the Philadelphia Warriors to a decisive fifth game. However, the Nationals' reign as defending champions would end with a 109–104 loss in Philadelphia.

The Nationals would get off to a slow start as coach Cervi was fired and replaced by Paul Seymour. Under Seymour the Nationals would rebound and finish the 1956–57 season in second place with a record of 38–34. In the playoffs, the Nationals would have trouble knocking off the defending champion Warriors advancing to the Eastern Finals with 2 straight wins. However, the Nationals would be swept in 3 straight games by the eventual eventual champions, the Boston Celtics.

Fort Wayne and Rochester had moved on to Detroit and Cincinnati for the 1957–58 season, leaving the Syracuse Nationals as the last small town team in the big city NBA. That would not matter on the court as the Nationals held their own finishing in second place with a 41–31 record. However, in the playoffs the Nationals would fall in the first round as they lost a 3-game series to the Philadelphia Warriors.

Despite a mediocre 35–37 record for the 1958–59 season the Nationals would make the playoffs again by finishing in third place. In the playoffs, the Nationals would once again rise to the occasion sweeping the Knickerbockers in 2 straight to reach the Eastern Finals, where they gave the eventual champion Celtics all they could handle, alternating wins before falling by 5 points in Game 7.

Playing in a league now dominated by superstars like Bill Russell of the CelticsWilt Chamberlain of the WarriorsBob Pettit of the St. Louis Hawks and Elgin Baylor of the Lakers, the Nationals held their own posting a solid 45–30 record, while finishing in third place after the 1959–60 regular season. However, in the playoffs the Nationals would lose a 3-game series to Chamberlain and the Warriors.

With the Lakers relocating from Minneapolis to Los Angeles before the 1960–61 season, the Syracuse Nationals became the last old NBL team to still be playing in their original city in the NBA. The Nationals would go on to make the playoffs again by finishing in third place with a 38–41 record. The Nationals would prove to be dangerous in the playoffs as they stunned the Warriors in 3 straight games. However, in the Eastern Finals the Nationals would be knocked off once again by the eventual champion Celtics in five games.

Schayes missed 24 games during the 1961–62 season and failed to lead the team in scoring for the first time in 14 years, as Hal Greer led the way with 22.8 points per game. The Nationals would go on to finish in third place again with a 41–39 record. In the playoffs, the Nationals would drop their first two games to the Warriors on the road. Facing elimination, the Nationals would win the next two games to force a fifth game in Philadelphia. However, in Game 5, the Warriors would prove to be too strong as they ended the Nationals' season with a 121–104 victory.

With an aging team the Nationals were expected to fade; however, with the scrappy play of Johnny Kerr, the Nationals remained a strong contender, finishing in second place for the 1962–63 season, with a record of 48–32. In the playoffs the Nationals would face the Cincinnati Royals, getting off to a 2–1 series lead. However, needing a win to advance to the Eastern Finals again, the Nationals would lose 2 straight dropping the decisive fifth game at home in overtime 131–127.

The playoff overtime loss on March 26, 1963, would prove to be the last game for the Syracuse Nationals.

Relocation to Philadelphia and becoming the 76ers/Sixers

Philadelphia76ers2

Philadelphia 76ers logo 1963–1977.

By the early 1960s, the NBA's other teams from its beginnings in the midwest had all moved to larger markets. Syracuse was the last of the medium-sized cities, but it too was too small for a professional team to be profitable. Paper magnate Irv Kosloff bought the Nationals from Biasone and moved them to Philadelphia in 1963. The NBA thus returned to Philadelphia one year after the Warriors had left for San Francisco. A contest was held to decide on their new name and the winner was the late Walt Stahlberg. Their name was changed to the "76ers," after the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776. The nickname was quickly shortened to "Sixers" by headline writers, and the two names soon became interchangeable for marketing purposes.

For their first four years in Philadelphia, the Sixers played mostly at the Philadelphia Arena and Civic Center-Convention Hall, with an occasional game at The Palestra at the University of Pennsylvania.

1964–1967: The Wilt Chamberlain era

WiltChamberlain76ers

Wilt Chamberlain joined the Sixers in 1965 in a trade with the San Francisco Warriors and led the team to the NBA title in 1967.

In the 1964–65 season, the 76ers acquired the legendary Wilt Chamberlain from the Warriors; Chamberlain had been a high school legend at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia and began his career with the Warriors while they still played in Philadelphia. The 76ers would push the Celtics to seven games in the semifinals, with the 76ers trailing 110–109 in Game 7. After Hal Greer's pass was stolen by John Havlicek, the Celtics went on to beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals and win the NBA Championship. On December 3, 1965, in the midst of a game at the Boston Garden, co-owner Richman suffered a heart attack and died courtside.

1966–67: First title in Philadelphia and Second NBA championship

Led by head coach Alex Hannum, the 76ers had a dream season as they started 45–4 en route to a record of 68–13, the best record in league history at the time. Chamberlain, Billy Cunningham, and Hal Greer, along with all-stars Chet Walker and Lucious Jackson, led the team to the Eastern Conference finals. This time, with the Celtics aging and hurt, the 76ers beat the Celtics in five games. In Game Five of that series, as the 76ers went to victory and the NBA Finals, rabid Philadelphia fans chanted "Boston is dead!" – a symbol that the Celts' eight-year reign as NBA champion had ended. The Finals were almost anti-climatic, with the Sixers ousting the San Francisco Warriors in six games to give them their first NBA Championship in Philadelphia and the franchise's second overall. The 1966–67 Sixers were voted the best team in league history during the NBA's 35th anniversary celebration.

1967–1976: Fall of the 76ers

In the 1967-68 season, with a new home court in the form of the The Spectrum to defend their championship, the 76ers made it back to the NBA Playoffs and in the rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Finals, the 76ers held a 3–1 series lead over the Celtics, before selfish play and ego cost them big, as the Celtics came back to beat the 76ers in seven games. At the end of the season, the 76ers traded Chamberlain to the Los Angeles Lakers for three role players. The trade was one of the most lopsided in NBA history, and sent the Sixers into a freefall.

While the Sixers continued to contend for the next three seasons, they never got past the second round. In 1971–72–only five years after winning the title--the Sixers finished 30-52 and missed postseason play for the first time in franchise history. The bottom fell out in the 1972–73 season, in which they won only nine of 82 games, earning the nickname from the skeptical Philadelphia media of the "Nine and 73-ers". The 73 losses, although threatened many times, remains the all-time low-water mark for any NBA franchise. At one time, the Sixers owned the records for most wins and most losses in a season. The 76ers’ 0.110 winning percentage was a record worst at the time, and is still the second lowest in NBA history, broken only by the 2011–12 Charlotte Bobcats, who finished 7–59 for a .106 winning percentage in a season shortened due to a lockout. Only six seasons earlier, the 76ers had set the NBA record for most wins in a season. The 76ers of 1972–73 are generally considered to be the worst team an NBA franchise has ever put on the court – although NBA historian Kyle Wright argued in a 2007 study that owing to weaker schedules the 1992–93 Mavericks and 1997–98 Nuggets, both of whom won eleven games, plus the inaugural Cleveland Cavaliers who played an extremely weak schedule, were actually poorer teams.

The next year, the 76ers would hire Gene Shue as their head coach and they slowly came back. In the 1975-76 season, the 76ers got George McGinnis from the Indiana Pacers of the ABA (after the Knicks tried to sign him, not knowing that the Sixers owned his rights), and with him, the 76ers were back in the playoffs after a five-year absence, and even though they lost to the Buffalo Braves in three games, a "Doctor" would come along and get the team healthy enough to stay in perennial contention.

1976–1987: The Julius Erving era

JuliusErving1980

Julius Erving played 11 seasons with the 76ers (1976–1987), and played in four NBA Finals, ultimately winning in 1983.

The Sixers finally came all the way back in 1976–77, in large part due to a byproduct of the ABA–NBA merger. The ABA's last champions, the New York Nets, were facing having to pay almost $5 million to the Knicks for "invading" the New York area on top of the $3.2 million expansion fee for joining the NBA. When the Sixers offered to buy the contract of the Nets' franchise player, Julius Erving, for $3 million—roughly the cost of NBA membership—the Nets had little choice but to accept. A few months before that trade, Kosloff had sold the Sixers to Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr. on May 28, 1976.

Led by Erving, the 76ers began an exciting ride for the fans of Philadelphia, beating their long-time rival from Boston in a seven-game playoff series to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. There, they defeated the Houston Rockets, led by future 76er Moses Malone, in six games to advance to the NBA Finals. In the Finals, they sprinted to a 2–0 series lead over the Bill Walton-led Portland Trail Blazers—who were coached by former 76ers' coach/general manager Jack Ramsay—only to drop the next four games in a row to give the Blazers their first NBA title.

76ers logo 1977-1997

Philadelphia 76ers logo 1977–1997.

That led to the motto being used in 1977–78 of "We owe you one," which would ultimately backfire when they lost in the playoffs the following year to the Washington Bullets, who went on to win the NBA championship that year. In the next four seasons, the Sixers would fall short of the NBA Championship, even after changing coaches to former Sixers great Billy Cunningham. In the 1980 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, they lost, four games to two. In Game Six, rookie Magic Johnson played center for the Lakers in place of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (who was out because of a sprained ankle suffered in Game Five) and scored 42 points. In the 1981 Eastern Conference Finals, the 76ers opened a big 3-1 series lead over the Celtics only to see Boston come back and win the series in seven games. The following season, the 76ers again faced the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, and again jumped to a 3-1 series lead only to see Boston forge a 3–3 series tie. The 76ers were given little chance of winning as they faced the Celtics in Game Seven at Boston Garden. This time, they played angry but inspirational basketball, pulling away to a 120–106 victory. In the game's closing moments, the fans at Boston Garden began chanting "Beat L.A., Beat L.A.", as they realized their team would lose the playoff series to a hated opponent (Philadelphia 76ers), but nonetheless openly wished that opponent good luck in the next round against a more hated opponent (the Los Angeles Lakers). However, the 76ers lost the 1982 Finals in six games against the Los Angeles Lakers.

1982–83: Third NBA championship

Moses Malone 76ers

Moses Malone was traded from the Houston Rockets to the 76ers during the 1982 offseason. Malone led the team to an NBA championship in 1983, winning both the league and Finals MVP.

Harold Katz bought the 76ers from Dixon in 1982. On his watch, the final piece of the championship puzzle was completed before the 1982-83 season when they acquired center Moses Malone from the aforementioned Houston Rockets. Led by Hall of Famer Julius Erving and All-Stars Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, and Bobby Jones they dominated the regular season, winning 65 games in what is still the second most winning year in franchise history. Malone was named League MVP, and when reporters asked how the playoffs would run, he answered, "Fo', fo', fo" (as in "four, four, four" - sweeping all three rounds to win the title, with the minimum 12 games).

The 76ers backed up Malone's boast. They made a mockery of the Eastern Conference playoffs, first sweeping the New York Knicks and then beating the Milwaukee Bucks in five games. The Sixers went on to win their third NBA championship (and second in Philadelphia) with a four-game sweep of the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, who had defeated them the season before. Malone is remembered for being the MVP of the Finals and for his promise of "fo', fo', fo'". This actually wound up as "fo', fi', fo" ("four, five, four"), as the Sixers finished with a playoff mark of 12–1. This was the third most dominant playoff run in league history after the 2000–01 Los Angeles Lakers, who went 15–1 enroute to the NBA Title, coincidentally beating the 76ers in the finals, and the 2016–17 Golden State Warriors, who went 16–1 enroute to the NBA title, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Philadelphia-based group Pieces Of A Dream had a minor hit in 1983 with the R&B song "Fo-Fi-Fo", which title was prompted by Malone's quip. This also marked the last championship in Philadelphia until the Phillies won the 2008 World Series.

Arrival of Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley 76ers

Charles Barkley was selected with the 5th overall pick of the 1984 NBA Draft by the 76ers. Barkley would spend eight seasons with the Sixers.

After a disappointing 1983–84 season, which ended with a five-game loss to the upstart New Jersey Nets in the first round of the playoffs, Charles Barkley arrived in Philadelphia for the 1984–85 season. For the next eight seasons, Barkley brought delight to the Philadelphia fans thanks to his humorous and sometimes controversial ways. The 76ers returned to the Eastern Conference Finals, but lost to the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics in five games. Following the season, Matt Guokas replaced Billy Cunningham as head coach, leading the Sixers to the second round of the playoffs in 1985–86, where they were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games.

On June 16, 1986, Katz made two of the most controversial and highly criticized personnel moves in franchise history, trading Moses Malone to Washington and the first overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft (which had been obtained from the San Diego Clippers in a 1979 trade for Joe Bryant) to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In return, the 76ers received Roy HinsonJeff Ruland, and Cliff Robinson, none of whom played more than three seasons with the team. Cleveland, meanwhile, turned their acquired pick into future All-Star Brad Daugherty.

On the night of the 1986–87 season opener, Julius Erving announced he would retire after the season, which was subsequently filled with tributes in each arena the Sixers visited. On the court, the team suffered through an injury-plagued campaign, but still managed to make the playoffs with a 45–37 record. Their season would end at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks again, this time in a best-of-five first round series that went the distance.

1987–1992: The Charles Barkley era

In 1987-88, with the team's record at 20-23, Guokas was fired and replaced by assistant Jim Lynam. Lynam finished the season 16–13, but overall Philadelphia finished 36–46, failing to reach the postseason for the first time since 1974–75. Philadelphia selected Charles Smith with its first pick in the 1988 NBA Draft, then traded his rights to the Los Angeles Clippers for their first pick, Hersey Hawkins. In five seasons with the Sixers, Hawkins would average 19 points per game, and left the team as its all-time leader in three-point field goals attempted and made.

In 1988–89, Philadelphia returned to the playoffs after a one-year absence, but were swept in the first round by the New York Knicks. In 1989-90, Barkley finished second in the league's MVP voting, as the 76ers won the Atlantic Division title. After defeating Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs, Philadelphia faced Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the second round. The 76ers fell to the Bulls in five games, and would do the same in 1991 after sweeping the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. Some people feel the two postseason losses to Chicago were the beginning of the end of Barkley's stay in Philadelphia. In 1991-92, the 76ers missed the playoffs for the just the second time during Barkley's eight seasons in Philadelphia. On June 17, 1992, Barkley was traded to the Phoenix Suns for Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry, and Andrew Lang, a deal that was met with harsh criticism.

1992–1996: Dark ages

Lynam relinquished his head coaching position to become general manager following the 1991-92 season, and hired Doug Moe to fill the vacancy. Moe's tenure lasted just 56 games, with the Sixers posting a 19-37 record. Popular former player and longtime assistant coach Fred Carter succeeded Moe as head coach in March of 1993, but could only manage a 32-76 record at the helm. Following the 1993-94 season, the 76ers hired John Lucas in the dual role of head coach and general manager. The enthusiastic Lucas had been successful as a head coach for the San Antonio Spurs, and Philadelphia hoped he could breathe new life into the 76ers. It proved disastrous, as the team went 42-122 in its two seasons under Lucas. The acquisition of unproductive free agents such as Scott Williams and Charles Shackleford, players at the end of their careers such as LaSalle Thompson, Orlando Woolridge, and Scott Skiles along with disappointing high draft picks such as Shawn Bradley and Sharone Wright were also factors in the team's decline.

Starting with the 1990-91 season, and ending with the 1995-96 season, the 76ers had the dubious distinction of seeing their win total decrease each year. The nadir was the 1995-96 season, when they finished with an 18-64 record, the second-worst in franchise history. It was also the second-worst record in the league that year, ahead of only the expansion Vancouver Grizzlies but behind the Toronto Raptors, who were also in their inaugural season. Katz, unpopular among fans since the 1986 trades, sold the team to a consortium led by Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider and Comcast Corporation at the end of the 1995-96 season, with Pat Croce, a former trainer for the Flyers and Sixers, taking over as president.

Many 76ers fans call these years "The Dark Ages." However, after many years of misfortune, there was a bright spot. The team won the lottery for the top pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. Questions remained, but with the first pick, the Sixers found their "Answer": Allen Iverson.

1996–2006: The Allen Iverson era

Allen Iverson 76ers (2009)

Allen Iverson was selected first overall by the 76ers in the 1996 NBA Draft. Iverson won Most Valuable Player honors in 2001 while leading the 76ers to the NBA Finals.

With new ownership and Iverson in place, and the 76ers moving into the CoreStates Center, things seemed to finally be heading in a positive direction. Croce fired Lucas as both coach and general manager. Johnny Davis was named head coach, while Brad Greenberg took over as general manager. Iverson was named Rookie of the Year, but Philadelphia's overall improvement was minimal, as they finished with a 22-60 record. 76ers top brass felt changes had to be made after the 1996–97 season. Changes came in the form of the firings of Davis and Greenberg and the unveiling of a new 76ers team logo and jerseys. To replace Davis, Larry Brown was hired as head coach. Known for a defense-first approach and transforming unsuccessful teams into winners by "playing the right way", Brown faced perhaps his toughest coaching challenge. He often clashed with Iverson, but the 76ers improved to 31 wins in 1997–98. Early in the 1997–98 season, the Sixers traded Jerry Stackhouse, who had been the third overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, to the Detroit Pistons. In exchange, Philadelphia received Aaron McKie and Theo Ratliff, defensive standouts who would have an impact in the team's resurgence. The 76ers also acquired Eric Snow from the Seattle Supersonics in January 1998.

76ers logo 1997-2009

Philadelphia 76ers logo 1997–2009.

Prior to the 1998–99 season, the 76ers signed George Lynch and Matt Geiger, but a lengthy lockout delayed the start of the season, which was shortened to 50 games. During the season, Philadelphia acquired Tyrone Hill in a trade with Milwaukee. The team began its resurgence during the strike-shortened season, finishing with a 28-22 record and the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, marking the first time since 1991 the team reached the postseason. In the first round, Philadelphia upset the Orlando Magic, three games to one, before being swept by the Indiana Pacers. The following season, the Sixers improved to 49-33, fifth in the East. Again, they won their first round series in four games, this time defeating the Charlotte Hornets. For the second straight year, they were defeated by Indiana in the second round, this time in six games. Iverson and Brown continued to clash, and their relationship deteriorated to the point where it seemed certain Iverson would be traded. A rumored trade to the Los Angeles Clippers fell through, but a complicated four-team deal that would've seen Iverson sent to Detroit was agreed upon, only to see it dissolve due to salary cap problems. When it became clear Iverson was staying in Philadelphia, he and Brown worked to patch things up, and the team would reap the benefits in 2000–01.

2000–01 season

During that season, the 76ers got off to a hot start by winning their first ten games, and their record would eventually swell to 41–14. Larry Brown coached the Eastern Conference All-Stars, and Allen Iverson was named MVP of the All-Star Game. Shortly before the All-Star break, Theo Ratliff was lost for the season with a wrist injury. Feeling the team needed an established center to advance deep into the playoffs, Philadelphia acquired Dikembe Mutombo from the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that sent Ratliff, Nazr Mohammed, Toni Kukoč, and Pepe Sanchez to Atlanta (Sanchez was reacquired later in the season after the Hawks waived him) In total, the team went 56–26 en route to becoming the top seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. The 56 wins were tied for the second-most in the league behind San Antonio's 58. The defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers also won 56, but gained a higher overall seed than the Sixers based on tiebreakers.

In the first round of the playoffs, Philadelphia faced Indiana yet again. In Game One, the 76ers wasted an 18-point lead and lost, 79–78, when Reggie Miller hit a three-pointer in the closing seconds. Philadelphia fought back, however, and took the next three games to win the series. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Sixers squared off against the Toronto Raptors and their superstar, Vince Carter. The teams alternated wins in the first four games, with Iverson scoring 54 points in Philadelphia's Game 2 victory. In Game 5, the 76ers jumped out to a 33-12 lead after the first quarter and routed the Raptors, 121-88, with Iverson contributing 52 points. Toronto won Game 6, setting the stage for Game 7 at the First Union Center. With the Sixers ahead, 88–87, Carter missed a jump shot at the buzzer to send Philadelphia into the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. After the teams split the first two games of the series, it was learned Iverson would miss Game 3 due to various injuries that had plagued him late in the season. Though many people felt Milwaukee would win easily, the 76ers kept the game close before falling, 80–74. The Sixers would win Games 4 and 5 before dropping Game 6. In Game 7, the Bucks jumped out to a 34–25 second quarter lead before seldom-used reserve Raja Bell scored 10 points to spark a 23-4 run that gave Philadelphia the lead for good. Iverson scored 44 points, and the 76ers pulled away in the second half, winning by a 108–91 score, putting them in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1983. Their opponent would be the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, who had run up an 11–0 record in the first three rounds of the playoffs, and were expected by many to make quick work of the Sixers. The two teams previously met in the 1983 NBA Finals, when the Sixers swept the Lakers. Because of a seemingly meaningless loss to the Chicago Bulls in the regular season finale, the 76ers had to open a series on the road for the first time in the 2001 playoffs.

In Game 1, the Lakers jumped out to an 18–5 lead, but the Sixers stormed back to take a 15-point lead in the second half. Los Angeles fought back to force a 94–94 tie at the end of regulation. The Lakers scored the first five points of the overtime period, but the 76ers went on a 13–2 run to end the game, winning by a 107–101 score. Iverson hit a go-ahead three-pointer in the extra period, and followed that with a jump shot after which he famously stepped over Tyronn Lue after making the basket. Eric Snow hit a running jump shot in the waning seconds with the shot clock expiring to clinch the stunning victory. Los Angeles would win Game 2, 98-89. In Game 3, Shaquille O'Neal fouled out late in the fourth quarter, and the 76ers pulled to within a point with under a minute to play. Robert Horry, however, hit a three-pointer in that final minute, and the Sixers would lose, 91–86. The Lakers took a 3–1 series lead with a 100–86 win in Game 4 and wrapped up the second of what would be three consecutive NBA titles with a 108–96 win in Game 5.

In addition to their Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference titles, the 2000–01 76ers featured the NBA's MVP (Iverson), Coach of the Year (Brown), Defensive Player of the Year (Mutombo), and Sixth Man of the Year (Aaron McKie).

Departure of Larry Brown

The 76ers went into the 2001–02 season with high expectations, but were able to produce only a 43-39 record, sixth in the Eastern Conference. In the first round of the playoffs, Philadelphia was defeated by the Boston Celtics, three games to two. In 2002-03, the Sixers sprinted to a 15–4 start, but a 10-20 swoon left them 25–24 at the All-Star break. After the break, the 76ers caught fire, winning nine in a row at one point, and 23 of their last 33 to finish at 48–34, earning the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Iverson scored 55 points in the playoff opener against the New Orleans Hornets, and the Sixers went on to win the series in six games. In the second round, the Detroit Pistons ended Philadelphia's playoff run in six games.

On Memorial Day 2003, Brown abruptly resigned as head coach, taking over the reins in Detroit a few days later. After being turned down by Jeff Van Gundy and Eddie Jordan, the 76ers hired Randy Ayers, an assistant under Brown, as their new head coach. Ayers lasted only 52 games and was fired with the team's record at 21-31. Chris Ford took over, but the Sixers finished the season at 33-49, missing the playoffs for the first time in six years. Iverson, who clashed with Ford throughout the second half of the season, played only 48 games in a stormy, injury-plagued season. Following the season, Philadelphia native Jim O'Brien was named head coach. Iverson was moved back to point guard and flourished, having arguably his finest season. He also impressed many with his willingness to get other players involved in the offense.

Arrival of Andre Iguodala

Andre Iguodala 76ers

Andre Iguodala was selected 9th overall in the 2004 NBA Draft by the 76ers.

During the 2004–05 season, Philadelphia acquired Chris Webber in a trade with the Sacramento Kings, with the hopes that the team had at long last found a consistent second scoring option to compliment Iverson. Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia's first-round pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, was named to the All-Rookie First Team, and the Sixers returned to the postseason with a 43–39 record. In the first round, they were defeated in five games by the defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons, coached by Larry Brown. Following the season, O'Brien was fired and replaced by the popular Maurice Cheeks, who played for the team from 1978–89, and was the starting point guard for the 1983 NBA Champions. However, the coaching change did not turn around the team's fortunes. A 2–10 stretch in March doomed them to missing the playoffs for the second time in three years with a 38–44 record. Allen Iverson told he wanted to be traded. On December 19, 2006, Iverson was traded to the Denver Nuggets for Andre Miller and Joe Smith and the first two draft picks. On January 12, 2007 NBA.com announced that the 76ers were working on a trade for Chris Webber. On January 1, 2006, Webber was traded to the Detroit Pistons.

The moves allowed the 76ers to make Iguodala the unquestioned leader of the team, and evaluate whether they saw him as a franchise player. The Sixers had started the year 3–0, then went 5–10 before Iverson left the team. They would stumble out to an eight-game losing streak with Iverson deactivated; however, they were able to finish the season on a high note, going 30–29 for the remainder of the season. They finished the year 35–47.

2006–2012: Post-Iverson era

The Sixers drafted Georgia Tech small forward Thaddeus Young with the 12th pick, traded with the Miami Heat for 21st pick Colorado State power forward Jason Smith, traded with the Portland Trail Blazers for 42nd pick Vanderbilt guard-forward Derrick Byars, and then finally traded with the Utah Jazz for Providence power forward Herbert Hill.

On December 4, 2007, the Sixers fired King and replaced him with Nets' general manager Ed Stefanski.

With Iguodala, the Sixers clinched a playoff berth with a win over the Atlanta Hawks on April 4, 2008. It was their first postseason appearance since 2005, as well as the first in the post-Iverson era. However, they were eliminated by the Pistons in six games, with Detroit winning the series 4–2. Even with this elimination, many fans considered this to be a successful season, considering that the Sixers were 12 games under .500 in early February and went on to have a run that led them to the playoffs and a 40–42 record.

On July 9, 2008, the 76ers signed power forward Elton Brand to a five-year, $79.795 million contract, after trading Rodney Carney and renouncing their rights to all their unrestricted free agents. Brand had originally opted out of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, looking to re-sign with them. But the 76ers offered him more money (he regarded their offer as the "Philly-Max") and a better chance at winning an NBA championship by playing in the Eastern Conference. This move has been the subject of controversy since there were rumors that he and Baron Davis had made a friendly agreement to play together for the Clippers.[30]The team later signed free agent point guard Royal Ivey of the Milwaukee Bucks, Kareem Rush from the Indiana Pacers, and then signed former Sixer Theo Ratliff after Jason Smith's injury. Donyell Marshall was signed on September 2, 2008, after he stated to his agent that he wanted to go back home and end his career in Philadelphia. Rush, Ivey, Ratliff and Marshall were all paid the veteran's minimum salary, but they were to be contributors to a team on the rise. During the off-season, they also re-signed restricted free agents Lou Williams and Andre Iguodala for five years/$25 million and six years/$80 million, respectively.

However, the Sixers could not find the form that pushed them to the playoffs last year. The Sixers started the year with a 9–14 record before firing head coach Maurice Cheeks on December 13. Assistant general manager Tony DiLeo took over and the Sixers gradually improved. They finished the season with a 41–41 record, with a 32–27 record under DiLeo. Brand's first season with the Sixers ended early with a right shoulder injury that required surgery. Despite the loss of Brand, the Sixers earned a playoff berth with a 95–90 win against the Detroit Pistons on April 4, 2009, at home.

In the first round, they faced the Orlando Magic. Three of the first four games of the series provided late-game heroics. Iguodala and Young made game-winning shots in Games 1 and 3, respectively, while Orlando's Hedo Türkoğlu provided the game-winner in Game 4. Just like in the previous year's playoffs, the Sixers led 2–1 after three games, but the Magic won three straight to eliminate the Sixers from the playoffs.

It was also during the season that the Sixers played one home game at their old home, the Wachovia Spectrum. The Sixers won 104–101 over the Chicago Bulls on March 13, 2009. The game was played to provide the final curtain call on the Spectrum, which was scheduled to be imploded on New Year's Eve 2009.

Following the playoff loss, Tony DiLeo returned to his front office job, creating a head coaching vacancy. Former Washington Wizards coach Eddie Jordan was introduced as the 76ers' new coach on June 1, 2009. In the 2009 off-season, the Sixers drafted UCLA point guard Jrue Holiday with the 17th pick. The Sixers also traded power forward Reggie Evans to the Toronto Raptors for a three-point specialist, small forward Jason Kapono, who had won back-to-back three-point shootouts in 2007 and 2008. The off-season also marked the return of the 1977–97 76ers logo, along with a redesigned court and new uniforms updating the 1980s ones.

The brief return of Iverson

Philadelphia 76ers logo

Philadelphia 76ers logo 2009–2015.

On December 2, 2009, the Philadelphia 76ers announced that they had signed Iverson to a one-year prorated $1.3 million non-guaranteed contract. The 76ers were 5–13 at the time and had lost Williams for at least 30 games to injury. Iverson made his "re-debut" for the 76ers against the team he was traded to, the Denver Nuggets, to a thunderous ovation from the sell-out crowd, scoring 11 points, with six assists and five rebounds.

However, the euphoria that greeted Iverson's return to the 76ers faded quickly. On February 22, Iverson announced he was leaving the 76ers indefinitely to attend to his daughter's illness, and a few weeks later the 76ers announced that Iverson would not be returning for the rest of the season.

The 76ers finished the season with a record of 27–55, their first 50-loss season since 1998. Most cited the reason behind this as the players' inability to play within Eddie Jordan's Princeton offense, with several players unhappy with his system. Hours after the 76ers' last game at Orlando on April 14, the team fired Jordan after one season. He was the fourth coach to be fired after one season or less since Larry Brown left the team in 2003.

On May 20, 2010, TNT analyst Doug Collins was named head coach of the 76ers. Collins played for the Sixers for his entire NBA career after being the first overall pick in the 1973 draft, and had previously coached the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, and the Washington Wizards. The 76ers had the sixth-best odds at receiving the top pick in the 2010 draft, and they managed to land the second overall pick, beating out the Warriors, Kings, Timberwolves, and Nets, who all had better odds. They used that draft pick to select Ohio State University's Evan Turner.

The Sixers started the season with an uninspiring 3–13 mark, but started turning things around, to finish with a 41–41 record. They clinched a playoff berth on April 1, 2011, their third in the last four years. The 76ers faced the heavily favored Heat in the first round, and ultimately fell to them in five games. Although they lost the series, Collins was praised for turning around a lottery team in his first season, as well as winning a playoff game when many pundits predicted that the Sixers would be swept. Collins also finished second in Coach of the Year voting.

On July 13, 2011, Comcast-Spectacor reached an agreement to sell the 76ers to an investment group led by Apollo Global Management co-founder Joshua Harris. Harris' group paid $280 million for the franchise. The sale did not include any ownership stake in the Flyers or in Comcast Sportsnet. The Sixers will continue to play their home games at the Wells Fargo Center for the foreseeable future. Actor Will Smith (a Philadelphia native) and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith are notable minority owners. The new ownership group decided to retain head coach Doug Collins and president of basketball operations Rod Thorn. Ed Stefanski, who served as the team's general manager since 2007, was relieved of his duties.

The 2011–12 season was delayed into December due to the lockout. The Sixers did not play their home opener until January 6, 2012. The home opener marked the debut of an improved in-game presentation at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Sixers had their best start since the 2000–01 season with a 20–9 record, battling for the Eastern Conference's best record and taking a firm division lead. However, they finished the rest of the season 15–22, giving them a 35–31 record. Attributed to their lack of a true go-to scorer, the 76ers lost hold of the top-three seed and division championship that they held for most of the season, by going on the losing streak. Nevertheless, they clinched their fourth playoff berth in the last five years on the penultimate play date of the season.

Philadelphia earned the eighth seed in the 2012 NBA playoffs, facing the first-seeded Bulls. Philadelphia improved from their struggles in the second half of the regular season, beating Chicago 4–2 to win their first series since 2003. This was the fifth time in NBA history that an eight seed has beaten a one seed. They then faced their rival, the Boston Celtics, in the second round, and were eliminated 4–3. The Sixers once again faced criticism for their lack of a true scorer, as they were not able to keep pace with the Celtics' scoring. They were, however, given credit for winning the regular-season series against Boston and forcing the playoff series to seven games against the Celtics, who had won the last four division championships.

In an effort to re-tool for the upcoming season, The 76ers selected Maurice Harkless, and Arnett Moultrie (via trade with Miami) in the 2012 NBA draft. The Sixers then used their amnesty clause on Brand, traded for Dorell Wright, signed Nick Young, Kwame Brown, and Ivey, and re-signed Spencer Hawes, while Lavoy Allen, Williams, and Jodie Meeks left through free agency.

On August 9, 2012, the 76ers agreed to a four-team trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Magic, and the Nuggets. In the trade that sent six-time All-Star Dwight Howard to the Lakers, Philadelphia agreed to send 2011 first-round pick Nikola Vučević, 2012 first-round draft pick Harkless, and a future first-round draft pick to Orlando, as well as All-Star swingman Iguodala to Denver. In exchange, they received Jason Richardson from the Magic and All-Star center Andrew Bynum from the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Sixers started the 2012–13 season with high expectations with the help of Bynum and the growth of the young Sixers. However, Bynum's debut with the 76ers took a hit when he was sidelined for precautionary reasons, in relation to the Orthokine knee procedure he received during the off-season. At first it looked like Bynum would be out only shortly, but little success in healing and setbacks pushed Bynum's return date further and further. As a result of many setbacks, on March 19, the Sixers announced that Bynum would have season-ending surgery on both knees. Bynum was not the only Sixer to suffer through injuries. On February 8, Richardson also went through a season-ending knee surgery. Holiday, Thaddeus Young, Nick Young, and Ivey also had injuries that sidelined them for weeks. By the end of the season, Turner and Hawes were the only Sixers to play in every game during the season. The Sixers started the season 12–9 but stumbled through a tough stretch and could not recover. The Sixers finished the season 34–48, missing the playoffs for the first time since Collins had taken over as head coach.

On April 18, Collins resigned as 76ers coach, citing his declining health and need to spend time with his grandchildren. He stayed with the team as an adviser. Soon after, general manager DiLeo had "cut ties" with the team. On May 11, it was announced that Sam Hinkie, who had previously worked for the Houston Rockets, would replace DiLeo as general manager. On July 8, it was announced that Adam Aron had stepped down as CEO, and was being replaced by Scott O'Neil. Aron maintained his position as co-owner of the team.

2013–2020: "The Process" era

Following the 2012–13 season, the Sixers, led by Hinkie, chose to shift in the direction of rebuilding the franchise. In an interview, Sixers guard Tony Wroten would refer to the major rebuilding culture surrounding Philadelphia as "The Process". The first move of this new plan was executed during the 2013 draft, when the Sixers agreed in principle to trade Jrue Holiday and the 42nd pick in the draft, Pierre Jackson, to the New Orleans Pelicans for Nerlens Noel and the Pelicans' 2014 first-round pick. The trade was later made official on July 12. The trade was seen by some as somewhat surprising, as Holiday had been the team's marquee player and was coming off a season that saw him make his first NBA All-Star Game. Additionally, Noel was recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered while in college, strongly indicating that he would not be able to make an immediate impact for the Sixers as he would be inactive to start the season. The Sixers used the 11th pick in the draft to select Michael Carter-Williams as Holiday's replacement as the starting point guard. The Sixers chose Arsalan Kazemi with the 54th overall pick, making Kazemi the first Iranian chosen in the NBA draft.

Following the Holiday trade, many of the team's returning players were either waived or left the team in free agency, most notably Andrew Bynum; of the 15 players on the team's roster during their final game of the 2012–13 season, only six remained with the team by January 1, 2014. In their place were a number of young prospects, many coming from the NBA Development League or signing with the Sixers after playing limited roles on other teams. Further moves at the trade deadline on February 20, 2014, saw the exits of veterans Spencer Hawes, Evan Turner, and Lavoy Allen, all of whom were key rotational players.

The 76ers, predicted by many to finish with the worst record in the league, had a 3–0 start that included wins over the two-time defending champion Miami Heat and a Chicago Bulls team with high expectations. However, the Sixers struggled heavily after that, at one point posting a 26-game losing streak which set a franchise record, and tied the all-time NBA record for most consecutive losses in a single-season. The Sixers finished the season with a 19–63 record, the third-worst in franchise history. Despite that, the Sixers did not have the worst win/loss record in the overall NBA standings: the Milwaukee Bucks finished worse with a 15–67 record.

Carter-Williams led all rookies in points, rebounds, assists, and steals, joining Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson as the only rookies to do such a feat. He also won the player of the week award in his first week, being the second rookie after Shaquille O'Neal to accomplish that. He went on to win the Rookie of the Year award, becoming the first rookie drafted 10th or later to win the award since Mark Jackson in 1987 for the New York Knicks.

Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons

Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were considered to be centerpieces of the Sixers future. However, Simmons was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in February 2022 following a five-month-long drama-filled holdout in which he demanded a trade due to his refusal to play for the team, and missed training camp to enforce his holdout. The 76ers would fine Simmons for conduct detriment to the team before and during the season, which led to him becoming the most fined player in NBA history, with reports suggesting he had lost more than $10 million by the end of 2021.

In the 2014 NBA draft, the Sixers selected Joel Embiid with the third overall pick, and traded with the Orlando Magic for Croatian prospect Dario Šarić, the twelfth pick of the draft. Neither prospect was expected to make an immediate impact for the Sixers, as Embiid was recovering from a stress fracture in the navicular bone, while Šarić will likely spend one or more years playing in the Turkish Basketball League. In the second round, the Sixers selected K. J. McDaniels, Jerami Grant, Jordan McRae, and Serbian prospect Vasilije Micić. The Sixers also traded a second-round pick to re-acquire Jackson from the Pelicans.

In the 2014 off-season, the Sixers traded Thaddeus Young to Minnesota in the Kevin Love to Cleveland trade, and received the Heat's 2015 first-round draft pick, Luc Mbah a Moute and Alexey Shved, leaving only two players with three years of experience on the Sixers remaining.

In June 2014, the it was announced that the team would move their practice facility and home offices to the Camden Waterfront, across the Delaware River from Philadelphia in Camden, New Jersey.

On November 29, 2014, the 76ers lost to the Dallas Mavericks 103–110 and set a franchise record for losses to start the season, as they fell to a record of 0–16. After losing their next game against the San Antonio Spurs to make it 0–17, the 76ers were on the verge of tying the NBA record of 18 straight losses to start a season if they lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 3, but they broke their losing streak and won their first game of the 2014–15 season with an 85–77 victory at Minnesota.

In three deals at the 2015 NBA trade deadline, the 76ers traded Carter-Williams and McDaniels for JaVale McGee, Isaiah Canaan, and three draft picks, including a protected 2015 first round pick originally owned by the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Sixers finished the season with an 18–64 record, tied with the second-worst in franchise history since 1995–96. Despite that, the Sixers did not have the worst win/loss record in the overall NBA standings: the Timberwolves fared worse with a 16–66 record and Knicks fared second with 17–65 record.

On May 19, the 76ers were awarded the third overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft, where they selected Duke center Jahlil Okafor with the third overall pick. The 76ers also signed JP Tokoto with the 58th overall pick. On November 27, the 76ers lost to the Houston Rockets 116–114, giving them a 27-game losing streak dating back to the previous season, which became the longest losing streak in professional sports. During the same game the Sixers set a franchise record of 16 three pointers made during the losing effort. On December 1, the 76ers beat the Lakers at home by a score of 103–91, but not before setting a league record 28 consecutive losses dating to the 2014–15 season. In doing so, the 76ers also managed to avoid setting a new NBA record of most losses to begin a season. They instead tied the old record of 18 losses set by the then-New Jersey Nets in the 2009–10 season.

On December 8, the 76ers announced that they would hire Jerry Colangelo, Chairman of the Board of Directors for USA Basketball, as the Special Advisor to the Managing General Partner and Chairman of Basketball Operations. In the first move the team made after hiring Colangelo, they traded two second-round draft picks to the Pelicans in return for point guard Ish Smith. After starting 1–30, the 76ers went 7–25 following the trade. On March 1, 2016, the 76ers, at the time with a record of 8–51, missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season. The 76ers finished the season 10–72.

On April 6, 2016, Sam Hinkie resigned by way of a 7,000 word letter of resignation. On April 10, 2016, Bryan Colangelo, the son of Jerry Colangelo, was named president of basketball operations. In the NBA Draft Lottery, the Philadelphia 76ers earned the first pick in the draft, after they had a 25% chance of earning the spot.

On June 23, 2016, following the 2015–16 season, and after the 76ers were awarded the first overall pick in the 2016 draft, the team selected LSU Point Forward Ben Simmons first overall. The Sixers also selected French basketball player Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot and Turkish basketball player Furkan Korkmaz with the 24th and 26th picks in the 2016 NBA draft respectively. Many consider the 2016 NBA Draft a turning point for the 76ers after their three seasons of not being competitive resulted in the franchise garnering the first overall pick, the first time the team owned the first since 1996 when the 76ers selected point guard Allen Iverson first overall. The Sixers subsequently traded for another number one pick in the 2017 NBA draft, choosing Markelle Fultz.

The 2017–18 season was the most successful season since the 2011–12 season as the team finished the regular season in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 52–30 winning record and clinched a playoff spot. The season also saw the 76ers reaching a franchise record 16-game winning streak. In the First Round of the playoffs, the Sixers defeated the Heat in five games, to win their first playoff series since the 2011–12 season.

Following a controversy involving fake Twitter accounts, the 76ers parted ways with general manager Bryan Colangelo on June 7, 2018. The team promoted Elton Brand from executive vice president of basketball operations to fill the vacant general manager role on September 18, 2018.

On November 12, 2018, the 76ers traded Šarić, Robert Covington, Jerryd Bayless and a 2022 second-round draft pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Jimmy Butler and Justin Patton.

On February 6, 2019, the 76ers acquired forward Tobias Harris, as well as Boban Marjanović and Mike Scott, in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, sending Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala, Landry Shamet, a protected 2020 first-round pick, Miami's unprotected 2021 first-round pick and Detroit's 2021 and 2023 second-round picks to the Clippers.

The Sixers, sporting a new starting 5 consisting of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, JJ Redick, and Tobias Harris, became a larger favorite in the NBA. They completed the season as the 3 seed. In the playoffs, the Sixers beat the Brooklyn Nets in 5 games in the first round and went on to play a series in the second round against the 2 seed Toronto Raptors. The series went back and forth, and despite Joel Embiid being ill for some of the games, the series went to game 7 in Toronto. At the end of the game, the score was tied at 90 when Kawhi Leonard of the Raptors hit a highly contested buzzer beater shot that bounced off the rim 4 times to send the Sixers home. The Raptors would go on to make their first NBA Finals appearance, where they would go on to defeat the defending two-time NBA champion Golden State Warriors to capture their first NBA championship in franchise history.

In the offseason, Jimmy Butler went to the Miami Heat in a sign and trade that brought Josh Richardson to Philadelphia. The Sixers also signed Al Horford. Fan favorite point guard TJ McConnell, who had been in the team through the process era, was let go.

On November 25, 2019, the 76ers made history by signing a sports betting partnership with Fox Bet, the joint venture of online gambling operator The Stars Group and broadcaster Fox Sports. While the NBA has struck a number of partnerships with betting operators following the 2018 US Supreme Court ruling that struck down the federal betting ban, the Fox Bet deal marked the first partnership between a betting operator and an individual NBA team.

Following the suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season, the 76ers were one of the 22 teams invited to the NBA Bubble to participate in the final 8 games of the regular season. The Sixers started the bubble in the 6th seed, tied with the Indiana Pacers, who had the tiebreaker. The first game in the bubble was against the Pacers, and the 76ers lost. The regular season finished with the 76ers in the 6 seed, a notable decrease in position from the previous two seasons. The 76ers faced the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, and were swept in four games. On August 24, 2020, the 76ers fired head coach Brett Brown.

Many feared that the “championship window” that had begun after “the process” tanking when the team had made the playoffs in 2018 was now over, citing the significant regression of the team. However, it was apparent that Sam Hinkie’s plan of the process had worked in that it brought the .500 franchise to championship contention.

2020–present: The Morey era

On September 28, 2020, former Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers became a free agent after stepping down as head coach of the Clippers following their infamous playoff collapse to the Denver Nuggets in the conference semifinals. Hours after the news broke, the 76ers called him for the head coaching job and on October 1, 2020, the Sixers announced that Rivers and they had signed a multi-year agreement to make Doc Rivers the next head coach.

On November 2, 2020, the 76ers hired Daryl Morey to be their president of basketball operations.

On May 14, 2021, following a 122–97 win over the Orlando Magic, the 76ers clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since the 2000–01 season.

In the playoffs, the 76ers defeated the Washington Wizards in five games in the first round, winning their first playoff series since 2019. The 76ers advanced to the semifinals, where they faced the Atlanta Hawks. However, the 76ers were upset by the Hawks, losing in seven games, which included a squandered 26-point lead in Game 5.

Franchise player, Joel Embiid, placed 2nd in the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for the 2020-21 regular season behind 1st placed winner Nikola Jokic.

The 2021–22 season was marred by controversy as All-Star guard Ben Simmons demanded to be traded due to his refusal to play for the team, and had missed training camp to enforce his holdout. The 76ers fined Simmons for conduct detrimental to the team and would continue to do so throughout the season. This led to Simmons being the most fined player in NBA history, with reports suggesting he had lost more than $10 million by the end of 2021.

On February 10, 2022, Simmons, along with Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and draft picks, were traded to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for All-Star guard James Harden and Paul Millsap.

On April 3, 2022, after a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Sixers clinched their fifth consecutive playoff appearance. They finished the regular season with a 51–31 record, clinching the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.

In the playoffs, the 76ers faced the 5th-seeded Toronto Raptors in the first round. The two teams previously met in the semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs, in which the Raptors won in seven games after Kawhi Leonard hit the game-winning shot in Game 7 en route to their first NBA championship in franchise history. This time however, the 76ers defeated the Raptors in six games, advancing to the semifinals, where they faced against the top-seeded Miami Heat. The two teams previously met in the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs, with the 76ers winning in five games. However, the 76ers would go on to lose to the Heat in six games, ending their season. It marked the fourth time in five seasons that the 76ers were eliminated in the conference semifinals.

On July 21, 2022, the 76ers announced 76 Place at Market East, a new 18,600 seat arena to be developed in Center City, Philadelphia.

In the 2022–23 season, the 76ers clinched a playoff spot on March 21, when the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Brooklyn Nets. On April 22, the 76ers swept the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs, following a 96–88 victory. However, they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the Boston Celtics after being defeated by a score of 112-88 in game 7 of the series. It marked the third time in six seasons that the 76ers had their season ended by the Celtics in the playoffs.

On May 16, 2023, Head Coach Doc Rivers was fired and replaced by Nick Nurse on June 1. The Sixers traded James Harden, PJ Tucker and Filip Petrusev to the Los Angeles Clippers for Marcus Morris, Robert Convington, Nicolas Batum KJ Martin and picks. The Sixers started the season 29–13 as the second seed in the East, but Joel Embiid, who was at the front of MVP voting with a sensational 36.1 PPG and a Franchise high 70 Points in a single game, tore his Lateral Meniscus and had to miss the All Star Game, in which he was announced a starter, and his shot at MVP, since you must play at least 65 games to win any Regular Season Awards. Tyrese Maxey was announced as a reserve for the 2024 All-Star game with averages of 25.7 Points, 3.7 Rebounds and 6.3 assists. Embiid returned on March 5. During Joel's absence, the Sixers fell to the 8th Seed. They finished the season as the 7th seed with a record of 47–35, qualifying for the NBA Play-In Tournament.

The Sixers made it out of the Play-In Tournament, beating the Miami Heat to advance to the playoffs as the 7th seed. The 76ers matched up against the 2nd seeded New York Knicks. The two teams previously met in the first round of the 1989 NBA Playoffs, in which the Knicks swept the 76ers 3–0. After going down 0–2, Embiid scored 50 points in Game 3, joining Allen Iverson as the only two players in franchise history to score 50 or more points in a playoff game. After Game 2, Tyrese Maxey was named Most Improved Player. However, the 76ers would go on to be eliminated by the Knicks in six games, marking the first time the 76ers failed to make it into the second round since they got swept by the Boston Celtics in the 2020 NBA playoffs.

Rivalries

Boston Celtics

The rivalry between the 76ers and Boston Celtics is the earliest dated rivalry in the NBA. The two teams have the most meetings in the NBA Playoffs, playing each other in nineteen series, of which the Celtics have won twelve. It is considered to be the second-greatest rivalry in the NBA, next to the Celtics–Lakers rivalry. The rivalry first peaked when Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell of the Celtics played each other from 1965 to 1968. The 1966–67 Sixers, voted the best team in league history during the NBA's 35th anniversary, set a then-record by winning 68 games in the 81-game season (a record since broken by the Lakers, Bulls and Warriors) and ending Boston's eight-year title reign which led to the infamous "Boston's Dead!" chants by the Philadelphia fans in Game 5 of the semifinals. The Sixers would go on to defeat the San Francisco Warriors in the 1967 NBA Finals in six games to win their second NBA championship. The following season, the 76ers and Celtics met once again in the semifinals, and in a rematch of the previous season's semifinals, despite the 76ers holding a 3–1 series lead over the Celtics, the Celtics staged a dramatic comeback to beat the Sixers in seven games en route to defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1968 NBA Finals in six games to win yet another NBA championship.

The 76ers went through a rebuilding period through the early 1970s, while the Celtics would go on to win 2 more championships in the 1970s, in 1974 and 1976. The 76ers came back to relevance during the 1976–77 season, in which they defeated the defending NBA champion Celtics en route to a Finals appearance, where they lost to the Portland Trail Blazers in six games.

Both teams would peak in the 1980s, with every single Eastern Conference Championship between 1980 and 1987 belonging to either the 76ers or Celtics. The Larry Bird-led Celtics won five of them, while the Julius Erving-led 76ers won the other three. The Charles Barkley-led Sixers of the later 1980s took the fight to the Celtics; neither team experienced much playoff success in the late 1980s, and both took steep nosedives in the Eastern Conference rankings throughout the 1990s.

The rivalry was reborn in the new millennium. The first time, the Allen Iverson-led defending-Eastern Conference champions 76ers were defeated in the first round of the 2002 playoffs by the Paul Pierce-led Celtics 3–2. The second time, exactly ten years later, the Big Three Celtics (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen) defeated the valiant eight seed 76ers team 4–3. In the ten years in between, the Sixers would experience limited success whereas the Celtics won a championship and contended for most of that span. In a memorable 2006 regular-season meeting between the two, the 76ers defeated the Celtics 125–124 in triple overtime, with Iverson leading the way with 33 points and 10 assists.

The teams met again in the 2018 Eastern Conference Semifinals as both team advanced from the first round lead by the arriving of the New fellow star Jayson Tatum from Celtics with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid from 76ers, respectively. The Celtics won the series 4–1,

The teams met yet again in the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs and the Celtics swept the series 4–0. This series took place in the 2020 NBA Bubble.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are the Sixers' biggest rival from the Western Conference. The rivalry has been most intense during the late 1970s and early 1980s, when both teams were big title contenders with well-known NBA players such as Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, and Moses Malone. During this period, the teams have met each other in the NBA Finals 3 times; in 1980, 1982, and 1983. The Lakers took the series in 1980 and 1982, both in six games, and the Sixers won the series in a sweep in 1983.

The rivalry was dormant during the 1980s and the entire 1990s, with the 76ers going through tough rebuilding times. However, the rivalry made a comeback in the 2001 NBA Finals, when the Sixers, led by league MVP Allen Iverson, met the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led Lakers, who were the defending NBA champions. The Sixers shocked the world by beating the seemingly unbeatable Lakers, who had swept through their competition in the playoffs, in Game 1 in overtime in Los Angeles. The Lakers, however, would take the next four games to win the series.

Sixer fans had their own rivalry with Lakers player Kobe Bryant, who was a Philly native. This rivalry started in the 2001 NBA Finals, when Kobe proclaimed he was "coming to Philly to cut their hearts out." This began an unforgiving attitude from Sixers fanatics.

Uniform History

The Sixers have perhaps had more uniform changes than any other team in the NBA, compared to teams such as the Lakers and the Celtics who have kept relatively the same uniform design since the start of their franchises.

Year
Franchise Name /font>
Description
1963 1963-1965 The Sixers begin their run in Philadelphia with the Betsy Ross inspired uniform.
1966 1966-1970 The Sixers went to the straightforward look during their first championship run. Simple block letters with the traditional "PHILA" on the front replaced the star-spangled banner look.
1970 1970-1971 This uniform was the most unpopular and hardest uniform to produce.
1971 1971-1976 SonderLevitt Advertising designed a uniform that had a much longer lifespan than its predecessor. With the new art deco-like lettering, the uniforms retained the star-inset blue side stripe, a graphic element that remained a feature through the 70’s.
1977 1977-1978 Lettering on the jersey was readjusted.
1978 1978-1991 This uniform becomes the Sixers “hallmark” look, the Sixers will win more games in this uniform than any other in the history of the franchise.
1991 1991-1994 The Sixers uniform was redesigned by Champion Products and was a departure from the classic Sixers uniform. The design featured multicolored stars against a royal blue field that curved up from shorts to the jersey.
1994 1994-1997 This uniform was actually a throwback to the classic Sixers look. Designed by Lucy Loeb, the front featured “SIXERS” in a more ornate block lettering
1997 1997-2000 The Sixers unveiled a completely new look including the first major logo change since becoming the Philadelphia 76ers in August of 1963. In keeping with the traditional red and blue, the logo was “modernized” by adding silver, gold and black. For the first time in franchise history, the Sixers wore black uniforms on the road. Trimmed in red and gold, the jersey that features the word “SIXERS” on the front with white numbers trimmed in red on the back
2000 2000-present The Sixers made a few changes in their uniforms in there NBA Finals season. They removed the gold off the "SIXERS" logo and made it black with red drop shadow trim on there white uniforms. And on there black uniforms they put the red trim around the "SIXERS" logo.

NBA Season-by-season records

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Percentage

Season W L % Playoffs Results
Syracuse Nationals (NBL)
W-L not included in totals
1946-47 21 23 .477 Lost Opening Round Rochester 3, Syracuse 1
1947-48 24 36 .400 Lost Opening Round Anderson 3, Syracuse 0
1948-49 40 23 .656 Won Opening Round
Lost Division Semifinals
Syracuse 2, Hammond 0
Anderson 3, Syracuse 1
Syracuse Nationals
1949-50 51 13 .797 Won Division Semifinals
Won Division Finals
Lost NBA Finals
Syracuse 2, Philadelphia 0
Syracuse 2, New York 1
Minneapolis 4, Syracuse 2
1950-51 32 34 .485 Won Division Semifinals
Lost Division Finals
Syracuse 2, Philadelphia 0
New York 3, Syracuse 2
1951-52 40 26 .606 Won Division Semifinals
Lost Division Finals
Syracuse 2, Philadelphia 1
New York 3, Syracuse 1
1952-53 47 24 .648 Lost Division Semifinals Boston 2, Syracuse 0
1953-54 42 30 .583 Won Round-Robin
Won Round-Robin
Won Division Finals
Lost NBA Finals
Syracuse 2, Boston 0
Syracuse 2, New York 0
Syracuse 2, Boston 0
Minneapolis 4, Syracuse 3
1954-55 43 29 .597 Won Division Semifinals
Won NBA Finals
Syracuse 3, Boston 1
Syracuse 4, Fort Wayne 3
1955-56 35 37 .486 Won Division Tiebreaker
Won Division Semifinals
Lost Division Finals
Syracuse 1, New York 0
Syracuse 2, Boston 1
Philadelphia 3, Syracuse 2
1956-57 38 34 .528 Won Division Semifinals
Lost Division Finals
Syracuse 2, Philadelphia 0
Boston 3, Syracuse 0
1957-58 41 31 .569 Lost Division Semifinals Philadelphia 2, Syracuse 1
1958-59 35 37 .486 Won Division Semifinals
Lost Division Finals
Syracuse 2, New York 0
Boston 4, Syracuse 3
1959-60 45 30 .600 Lost Division Semifinals Philadelphia 2, Syracuse 1
1960-61 38 41 .481 Won Division Semifinals
Lost Division Finals
Syracuse 3, Philadelphia 0
Boston 4, Syracuse 1
1961-62 41 39 .513 Lost Division Semifinals Philadelphia 3, Syracuse 2
1962-63 48 32 .600 Lost Division Semifinals Cincinnati 3, Syracuse 2
Philadelphia 76ers
1963-64 34 46 .425 Lost Division Semifinals Cincinnati 3, Philadelphia 2
1964-65 40 40 .500 Won Division Semifinals
Lost Division Finals
Philadelphia 3, Cincinnati 1
Boston 4, Philadelphia 3
1965-66 55 25 .688 Lost Division Semifinals Boston 4, Philadelphia 1
1966-67 68 13 .671 Won Division Semifinals
Won Division Finals
Won NBA Finals
Philadelphia 3, Cincinnati 1
Philadelphia 4, Boston 1
Philadelphia 4, San Francisco 2
1967-68 62 20 .756 Won Division Semifinals
Lost Division Finals
Philadelphia 4, New York 2
Boston 4, Philadelphia 3
1968-69 55 27 .671 Lost Division Semifinals Boston 4, Philadelphia 1
1969-70 42 40 .512 Lost Division Semifinals Milwaukee 4, Philadelphia 1
1970-71 47 35 .573 Lost Division Semifinals Baltimore 4, Philadelphia 2
1971-72 30 52 .366
1972-73 9 73 .110
1973-74 25 57 .305
1974-75 34 48 .415
1975-76 46 36 .561 Lost First Round Buffalo 2, Philadelphia 1
1976-77 50 32 .610 Won Conference Semifinals
Won Conference Finals
Lost NBA Finals
Philadelphia 4, Boston 3
Philadelphia 4, Houston 2
Portland 4, Philadelphia 2
1977-78 55 27 .671 Won Conference Semifinals
Lost Conference Finals
New York 4, Philadelphia 0
Washington 4, Philadelphia 2
1978-79 47 35 .573 Won First Round
Lost Conference Semifinals
Philadelphia 2, New Jersey 0
San Antonio 4, Philadelphia 3
1979-80 59 23 .720 Won First Round
Won Conference Semifinals
Won Conference Finals
Lost NBA Finals
Philadelphia 2, Washington 0
Philadelphia 4, Atlanta 1
Philadelphia 4, Boston 1
Los Angeles 4, Philadelphia 2
1980-81 62 20 .756 Won First Round
Won Conference Semifinals
Lost Conference Finals
Philadelphia 2, Indiana 0
Philadelphia 4, Milwaukee 3
Boston 4, Philadelphia 3
1981-82 58 24 .707 Won First Round
Won Conference Semifinals
Won Conference Finals
Lost NBA Finals
Philadelphia 2, Atlanta 0
Philadelphia 4, Milwaukee 2
Philadelphia 4, Boston 3
Los Angeles 4, Philadelphia 2
1982-83 65 17 .793 Won Conference Semifinals
Won Conference Finals
Won NBA Finals
Philadelphia 4, New York 0
Philadelphia 4, Milwaukee 1
Philadelphia 4, Los Angeles 0
1983-84 52 30 .634 Lost First Round New Jersey 3, Philadelphia 2
1984-85 58 24 .707 Won First Round
Won Conference Semifinals
Lost Conference Finals
Philadelphia 3, Washington 1
Philadelphia 4, Milwaukee 0
Boston 4, Philadelphia 1
1985-86 54 28 .659 Won First Round
Lost Conference Semifinals
Philadelphia 3, Washington 2
Milwaukee 4, Philadelphia 3
1986-87 45 37 .549 Lost First Round Milwaukee 3, Philadelphia 2
1987-88 36 46 .439
1988-89 46 36 .561 Lost First Round New York 3, Philadelphia 0
1989-90 53 29 .646 Won First Round
Lost Conference Semifinals
Philadelphia 3, Cleveland 2
Chicago 4, Philadelphia 1
1990-91 44 38 .537 Won First Round
Lost Conference Semifinals
Philadelphia 3, Milwaukee 0
Chicago 4, Philadelphia 1
1991-92 35 47 .427
1992-93 26 56 .317
1993-94 25 57 .305
1994-95 24 58 .293
1995-96 18 64 .220
1996-97 22 60 .268
1997-98 31 51 .378
1998-99 28 22 .560 Won First Round
Lost Conference Semifinals
Philadelphia 3, Orlando 1
Indiana 4, Philadelphia 0
1999-00 49 33 .598 Won First Round
Lost Conference Semifinals
Philadelphia 3, Charlotte 1
Indiana 4, Philadelphia 2
2000-01 56 26 .683 Won First Round
Won Conference Semifinals
Won Conference Finals
Lost NBA Finals
Philadelphia 3, Indiana 1
Philadelphia 4, Toronto 3
Philadelphia 4, Milwaukee 3
LA Lakers 4, Philadelphia 1
2001-02 43 39 .524 Lost First Round Boston 3, Philadelphia 2
2002-03 48 34 .585 Won First Round
Lost Conference Semifinals
Philadelphia 4, New Orleans 2
Detroit 4, Philadelphia 2
2003-04 33 49 .402
2004-05 43 39 .524 Lost First Round Detroit 4, Philadelphia 1
2005-06 38 44 .463
2006-07 35 47 .427
2007-08 40 42 .488 Lost First Round Detroit 4, Philadelphia 2
2008-09 41 41 .500 Lost First Round Orlando 4, Philadelphia 2
2009-10 27 55 .329
2010-11 41 41 .500 Lost First Round Miami 4, Philadelphia 1
2011-12 35 31 .530 Won First Round
Lost Conference Semifinals
Philadelphia 4, Chicago 2
Boston 4, Philadelphia 3
2012-13 34 48 .415
2013-14 19 63 .232
2014-15 18 64 .220
2015-16 10 72 .122
2016-17 28 54 .341
2017-18 52 30 .634 Won First Round
Lost Conference Semifinals
Philadelphia 4, Miami 1
Boston 4, Philadelphia 1
2018-19 51 31 .622 Won First Round
Lost Conference Semifinals
Philadelphia 4, Brooklyn 1
Toronto 4, Philadelphia 3
2019-20 43 30 .589 Lost First Round Boston 4, Philadelphia 0
2020-21 49 23 .681 Won First Round
Lost Conference Semifinals
Philadelphia 4, Washington 1
Atlanta 4, Philadelphia 3
2021-22 51 31 .622 Won First Round
Lost Conference Semifinals
Philadelphia 4, Toronto 2
Miami 4, Philadelphia 2
2022-23 54 28 .659 Won First Round
Lost Conference Semifinals
Philadelphia 4, Brooklyn 0
Boston 4, Philadelphia 3
2023-24 47 35 .573 Won Play-in game for No. 7 seed
Lost First Round
Philadelphia 105, Miami 104
New York 4, Philadelphia 2
Totals 2900 2723 .516
Playoffs 222 214 .509 3 Championships

Players of note

Basketball Hall of Famers

Retired numbers

All of the 76ers' retired numbers are hanging on the rafters in the Wells Fargo Center.

Philadelphia 76ers retired numbers
No. Player Position Tenure
2 Moses Malone C 1982–1986
1993–1994
3 Allen Iverson G 1996–2006
2009–2010
4 Dolph Schayes F/C 1948–1964
6 Bill Russell N/A Retired across NBA on August 11, 2022
Julius Erving F 1976–1987
10 Maurice Cheeks G 1978–1989
13 Wilt Chamberlain C 1965–1968
15 Hal Greer G 1963–1973
24 Bobby Jones F 1978–1986
32 Billy Cunningham F 1965–1972
1974–1976
34 Charles Barkley F 1984–1992
MIC Dave Zinkoff Public-address announcer 1963–1985

Notes

  • Dolph Schayes also served as player-coach (1963–1966).
  • Maurice Cheeks also served as head coach (2005–2008).
  • Wilt Chamberlain - Philadelphia native, and Philadelphia Warriors, 1959–1962.
  • Hal Greer played for the 76ers from 1958–1963 back when the franchise was known as the Syracuse Nationals.
  • Billy Cunningham also served as head coach (1977–1985).
  • Dave Zinkoff was also the public-address announcer for the Philadelphia Warriors, (1946–1962).
  • Nerlens Noel wore the number 4 at the time of the announcement (2013–2017).

Erving, Chamberlain, Cunningham, Barkley and Sonny Hill (team executive and director of youth basketball programs in the city) have also been inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.

Not to be forgotten

Guards

Forwards

 

Centers

Current Roster

Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY-MM-DD) From
F/C 30 Bona, Adem 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 2003-03-28 UCLA
G 14 Council, Ricky IV 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 207 lb (94 kg) 2001-08-03 Arkansas
G 11 Dowtin, Jeff (TW) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 177 lb (80 kg) 1997-05-10 Rhode Island
C 5 Drummond, Andre 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 279 lb (127 kg) 1993-08-10 Connecticut
F/C 21 Embiid, Joel 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 280 lb (127 kg) 1994-03-16 Kansas
G/F 19 Edwards, Justin (TW) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 2003-12-16 Kentucky
F/C Fiedler, Max 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 2001-02-26 Rice
F 8 George, Paul 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1990-05-02 Fresno State
G/F 23 Gordon, Eric 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1988-12-25 Indiana
G 00 Jackson, Reggie 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 1990-04-16 Boston College
F 18 Jones, David (TW) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2001-11-24 Memphis
G 7 Lowry, Kyle 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 196 lb (89 kg) 1986-03-25 Villanova
F 16 Martin, Caleb 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1995-09-28 Nevada
F 1 Martin, Kenyon Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 2001-01-06 IMG Academy (FL)
G 0 Maxey, Tyrese 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-10-04 Kentucky
G 20 McCain, Jared 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2004-02-20 Duke
G/F 9 Oubre, Kelly Jr. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 1995-12-09 Kansas
F 28 Yabusele, Guerschon 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 271 lb (123 kg) 1995-12-17 France
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (GL) On assignment to G League affiliate
  • (TW) Two-way affiliate player
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: August 31, 2024


Coaches and others

Basketball Hall of Famers

  • Daniel Biasone (contributor—founding owner and principal advocate of shot clock)
  • Chuck Daly (coach)
  • Alex Hannum (coach)
  • Jack Ramsay (coach)

External links

Preceded by
Minneapolis Lakers
1952 & 1953 & 1954
NBA Champions
Syracuse Nationals

1955
Succeeded by
Philadelphia Warriors
1956
Preceded by
Boston Celtics
1959 & 1960 & 1961 & 1962 & 1963 & 1964 & 1965 & 1966
NBA Champions
Philadelphia 76ers

1967
Succeeded by
Boston Celtics
1968 & 1969
Preceded by
Los Angeles Lakers
1982
NBA Champions
Philadelphia 76ers

1983
Succeeded by
Boston Celtics
1984
National Basketball Association
Commissioners
Maurice Podoloff (1946 - 1963) ~ Walter Kennedy (1963 - 1975) ~ Larry O'Brien (1975 - 1984) ~ David Stern (1984 - 2014) ~ Adam Silver (2014 - present)
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Coaches and Owners
NBA Coaches ~ NBA Owners
Annual Events
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