Pedro Oliveira
One of only eight franchises to survive the NBA’s first decade of formation, the Sixers since their founding have been one of the most iconic organizations in the history of American sports. Characterized by having more Hall of Fame members than championships on its shelves, the team has reached 6 finals in its history, winning 3 of them (one of them with its original name, Syracuse Nationals).
We expose the top 5 Philadelphia 76ers players in franchise history and summarize their journey and legacy within the organization and also the league as a whole.
5.- Charles Barkley
Although the Sixers would not be the only team in Chuck’s career, Barkley would be the franchise’s top player after the franchise’s last championship to the present day (in 1983). Selected with the fifth pick in the 1984 draft, the 1.96-meter power forward would defy numerous stigmas for the league at that time, among them, his role in multiple controversies and altercations due to his behavior on the court, being the athlete who popularized the phrase ”athletes are not role models”.
Despite his short stature for the position he played, Barkley would be one of the most dominant players on the court during the 80’s and 90’s, averaging 22.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game during his 16-year career. Although he was never able to win a championship, he earned 11 All-Star Game selections, 11 All-NBA selections, the MVP of the 1992-1993 campaña and the rebounding championship in 1986-1987.
He was the fourth player in league history to reach 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists in his career. He would finish as the fourth all-time leading scorer (14,184), third in scoring average (23.3 points per game), third in rebounds (7,079), eighth in assists (2,276) and second in field goal percentage (57.6%) in 76ers history in just an 8-year career with the organization.
4.- Hal Greer
A 10-time All-Star, 7-time All-NBA selection and 1966-1967 NBA champion, Hal Greer was a perennial member of the Sixers from his original name (Syracuse Nationals), finishing his 15-year career as one of the most important players in the organization’s history.
The point guard was selected in the 1958 draft and averaged 19.2 points, 5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 1122 games played during his 15-season career. This places him as a leader in several categories within the 76ers: all-time leading scorer (21,586), first in assists (1122), minutes played (39,788), field goals made (8504) and attempted (18,811) and personal fouls (3855).
Greer was the team’s leading scorer during its 1967 postseason championship campaign, averaging 27.7 and defeating the San Francisco Warriors in 6 games alongside Wilt Chamberlain. Greer is considered one of the best point guards/scorers of the 1960s, along with Jerry West and Oscar Robertson.
3.- Wilt Chamberlain
With only 4 seasons played within the Philadelphia franchise, one of the legends of all basketball left his mark forever on the team.
Although he may have left more controversy than titles, Wilt won his first career championship with the Sixers in the company of Hal Greer and Billy Cunningham as main figures besides the 2.16m center during the 1966-1967 campaign, facing Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics and ending their streak of 8 championships in a row. Chamberlain would change the way he played to a less demanding style, more of a ball distributor, more effective with his shots and above all, a much better defender than he ever was in his career.
Also, Chamberlain would go on to win the MVP award with the Sixers in every full season he played with the organization (3 total, a franchise record), all in a row (1966 to 1968). In 315 games played with the Sixers, Chamberlain would average 29 points, 23.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists, leading the league in rebounding 3 times (1966 to 1969) and in scoring during the 1966 campaign.
Even with his brief involvement with the team, Chamberlain also leads the franchise in triple-doubles (62), minutes per game (46.3), rebounds per game (23.9) points per game (27.6) and field goal percentage (58.3%).
2.- Allen Iverson
With the first pick in the 1996 draft, Allen Iverson would be chosen by the 76ers to be the team’s next franchise player and they would have been right on the money, as the 6-foot-8 shooting guard would go on to become one of the best scorers in NBA history.
Capturing 4 scoring championships, 3 steals championships, 11 All-Star Game selections, 7 All-NBA selections and an MVP award (2000-2001), A.I. remains to this day the most talented and iconic franchise figure in the league’s modern era. Averaging 26.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game over a 14-year career, 12 of them with Philadelphia.
Despite never having won a championship, Iverson managed to bring the Sixers organization back to an NBA Finals, facing the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2001 edition, and despite his great performance, they lost in 5 games. Iverson is also the second-highest scoring average in postseason history, with 29.7 points per game, only behind Michael Jordan.
Within the Sixers franchise, Allen leads the categories of three-pointers made (885), three-point attempts (2864), turnovers (2662) and average steals (2.3).
1.- Julius Erving
The entry of Dr. J to the NBA after being the best player in the entire ABA (winning 3 MPV awards and 2 championships with the New York Nets) would change the NBA forever, as Erving would introduce an athletic game never seen before, with his ability to use dunks as an effective and artistic method of leading a team’s offense. The innovation brought by the winger would make him a media phenomenon and loved by all fans.
Julius would spend 11 seasons with the Sixers until his retirement in 1987, in each of his seasons he managed to enter the postseason, being champion during the 1982-1983 campaign defeating the Los Angeles Lakers of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and Magic Johnson, with a sweep of 4 wins against 0 losses. This would be the Philadelphia franchise’s last championship to date.
He would finish averaging 22 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks through 836 games played. Erving would also earn 11 All-Star Game selections (being MVP twice) and 7 All-NBA selections.
