PHILADELPHIA 76ERS FRANCHISE HISTORY
Previous Franchise Names: Syracuse Nationals
Principal Owner: Josh Harris, David Blitzer
General Manager: Sam Hinkie
Head Coach: Brett Brown
Best Season: 1966-67 (68-13, .840)
Playoff Appearances: 47
NBA Championships: 3 (1954-55, 1966-67, 1982-83)
(Original Caption) Philadelphia 76ers’ Moses Malone (2) and Julius Erving (6) hug their coach Bill Cunninham in the dressing room after the 76ers made a clear 4 game sweep over the Los Angeles Lakers to win the NBA Championship at the Forum 5/31, 115-108.
The Philadelphia 76ers filled a one-year void in the City of Brotherly Love, born in 1963 after the Syracuse Nationals moved to Philly a year after the Warriors left the city for San Francisco.
The Nationals had won their lone title with superstar Dolph Schayes leading the way in 1955 and after moving to Philadelphia, the 76ers would hang a championship banner just four years later, winning the title (and breaking the Boston Celtics’ record run of eight straight championships) in 1967.
The 76ers had made a blockbuster trade in 1965, landing Wilt Chamberlain from the Warriors, and it was Chamberlain, along with Chet Walker, Hal Greer and Billy Cunningham, who led the Sixers to the crown.
But the dynasty never took off. The 76ers lost to the Celtics in the 1968 playoffs and Chamberlain was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers that offseason.
The Sixers declined to the point of setting an NBA record with 73 losses in 1972-73 after the ill-fated hiring of Roy Rubin—a former high school coach who lasted just 51 games into the season and went 4-47.
But Philadelphia was back in the playoffs by 1976 and played in the Finals in 1977 after the arrival of superstar Julius Erving from the New York Nets.
Philadelphia fell short in the Finals in 1980 and 1982, losing to the Lakers, before winning it all in 1983 following the signing of free agent Moses Malone, the reigning NBA MVP.
The 76ers have been back to the Finals just once since then, losing to the Lakers in five games in 2001 despite the efforts of NBA MVP Allen Iverson.
Philadelphia opted for a radical rebuild with the hiring of general manager Sam Hinkie in 2013 and have endured one of the worst stretches of NBA basketball since.
Cunningham took over as coach of the 76ers six games into the 1977-78 season and remained through the 1984-85 season, posting a franchise-best record of 454-196 and going 66-39 in the postseason.
Philadelphia 76ers Career Leaders (as of 3/9/2016)
- Games, Hal Greer, 1122
- Points, Hal Greer, 21586
- Rebounds, Dolph Schayes, 11256
- Assists, Maurice Cheeks, 6212
- Steals, Maurice Cheeks, 1942
- Blocks, Julius Erving, 1293
, left, during a NBA Live Tour basketball match between Phoenix Suns and Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv at the KoelnArena in Cologne, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2006. (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)Philadelphia 76ers Retired Numbers
- 2, Moses Malone
- 3, Allen Iverson
- 4, Dolph Schayes
- 6, Julius Erving
- 10, Maurice Cheeks
- 13, Wilt Chamberlain
- 15, Hal Greer
- 24, Bobby Jones
- 32, Billy Cunningham
- 34, Charles Barkley
- Mic, Dave Zinkoff
Philadelphia 76ers Official Links
Official Team Site: nba.com/sixers
Official Twitter Handle: @sixers
Official Facebook Page: Philadelphia 76ers
Official Instagram Page: Philadelphia 76ers
Official Arena Page: Wells Fargo Center
Philadelphia 76ers Beat Writers
Dei Lynam, Comcast Sportsnet, @dlynamcsn
Bob Cooney, Philadelphia Daily News, @bobcooney76
Keith Pompey, Philadelphia Inquirer, @pompeyonsixers
Tom Moore, Calkins Newspapers, @tmoorepburbs
Dan Gelston, Associated Press, @apgelston
Related Philadelphia 76ers Blogs and Links
Philadelphia 76ers Logo History, courtesy of Chris Creamer’s Sportslogos.net
Salary Page: Philadelphia 76ers Salaries at Spotrac
FanSided Philadelphia 76ers: The Sixer Sense
SB Nation Philadelphia 76ers: Liberty Ballers
HoopsHabit Philadelphia 76ers Archive: Philadelphia 76ers
Bleacher Report Philadelphia 76ers Team Stream: Philadelphia 76ers
RealGM Philadelphia 76ers Page: Philadelphia 76ers
Stats and retired number information courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com
