Philadelphia 76ers
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The Philadelphia 76ers are a National Basketball Association team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, also known as the Sixers for short.
- Founded: 1946-47 Syracuse Nationals in National Basketball League, joined the National Basketball Association in 1949-50.
- Formerly known as: Syracuse Nationals 1946-1963
- Home Arena: Wachovia Center
- Uniform colors: Black, Blue, Gold, Red, Silver and White.
- Logo design: The word "76ERS", with a basketball streaming out of a star behind the logo
- NBA Championships: 1955 (Syracuse), 1967, 1983
- 2004-05 Record: 43-39
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Franchise history
The Syracuse Nationals started in the NBL in the 1946-47 season. In 1949, the Nationals bailed out of the doomed NBL to join the BAA, or the NBA as it would be known from then on. They won an NBA title in the 1955-56 season.
The Nationals moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1963, the year after the Warriors had left for San Francisco, California. Their name changed to the "76ers." The name 76ers refers to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776. The Sixers won two NBA titles in Philadelphia. The first was in the 1966-67 season when they won a then-league record 68 games with hall of famers Wilt Chamberlain, Billy Cunningham, and Hal Greer, along with all-stars Chet Walker and Lucious Jackson. The more noteworthy 1982-83 season was their second championship where they posted a 12-1 playoff record including a four game sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers who had defeated the Sixers the season before. The 76ers were led by hall of famers Julius Erving and Moses Malone, and all stars Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, and Bobby Jones.
The 76ers lost to the Lakers in the 2000-2001 NBA Finals after winning 55 games in the regular season. That Sixers team also had the NBA's MVP, Allen Iverson, NBA's coach of the year, Larry Brown, Defensive Player of the Year, Dikembe Mutombo, and 6th Man of the year, Aaron McKie.
The 76ers also hold the record for the most losses in a season. In the 1972-73 season, the 76ers lost 73 games, a record that has been threatened at times, but still stands to this day.
The club in the recent years has revolved around Allen Iverson, a high-scoring guard. With the addition of Chris Webber from Sacramento Kings in 2005, the 76ers hoped that the duo would make a volatile and powerful combination. However, the team did not improve significantly and was defeated in the postseason by the Detroit Pistons. In the offseason, the 76ers fired coach Jim O'Brien and hired Maurice Cheeks, a popular former 76ers star.
Players of note
Basketball Hall of Famers:
- Wilt Chamberlain
- Billy Cunningham
- Julius Erving
- Hal Greer
- Bailey Howell
- Earl Lloyd (inducted as a contributor, not as a player)
- Moses Malone
- Dolph Schayes
Not to be forgotten:
Retired numbers:
- 2 Moses Malone
- 6 Julius Erving
- 10 Maurice Cheeks
- 13 Wilt Chamberlain
- 15 Hal Greer
- 24 Bobby Jones
- 32 Billy Cunningham
- 34 Charles Barkley
- Microphone - Dave Zinkoff, former team announcer
Current stars:
- 21
Matt Barnes
- 9 Andre Iguodala
- 3 Allen Iverson
- 24 Jamal Mashburn
- 8 Aaron McKie
- 54 Rodney Rogers
- 4 Chris Webber
- 1 Missing image
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Samuel Dalembert - 26 Kyle Korver
- 33 Willie Green
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
- Philadelphia 76ers official web site (http://www.nba.com/sixers/)
- Philadelphia 76ers Official Summer Pro League web site (http://www.summerproleague.com/)Template:NBA
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