The Co-founder of the Orlando Magic Pat Williams was also a key figure in the 76ers. He may have started his career in sports with baseball, but his entry in basketball was marked by the job of 76ers’ business manager. However, his more significant involvement with the franchise was as the 76ers’ General Manager. But all that is left now is his legacy, as earlier on Wednesday, Williams passed away at 84. So, let’s have a closer look at the legacy he left behind — both his ups and downs.

It is worth mentioning the 76ers hired Pat Williams as the GM in 1974 — the franchise’s lowest point. From this, he led the team to its third-ever and last claimed NBA championship in 1983. Although the team could not make it to the finals in the next season, the hopes would’ve been high after adding a player like Charles Barkley to 83’s championship team.

Notably, Chuck’s 14 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game seemed to promise high returns. And he did not let down the team, as he contributed decently in his first season. In fact, by his second season, Barkley averaged 20 ppg in the regular season and 25 ppg in the playoffs.

The Sixers failed to appear in the Finals for the coming seasons after winning the championship in 1983. This frustration in failing to build a 76ers dynasty led to Williams leaving the franchise in 1986, as per the reports. And the frustration is understandable considering the point from which he started with the franchise and turned it into a team with championship caliber.

Pat Williams’ work as the 76ers’ General Manager

As stated earlier, he joined in at the position when the franchise was witnessing one of its darkest phases. So much so that the 1972-73 Sixers team is said to be one of the worst in NBA history. The fact that this team holds the record for losing most games (73) in an 82-game season is no less than a testament to the earlier assumption. Having played with the team during this phase, Van Arsdale, in his book, compared this team to a car that was a “burnt, faded, broken-down used lemon with the sticker price so low it was almost offensive”.

It was amid these circumstances that 76ers, then owner Irv Kosloff, offered Pat Williams the position of GM in 1974. The process of building a championship team started with Williams acquiring Julius Erving in a trade. Notably, Erving was quite successful with the Nets in the American Basketball Association (ABA), until the franchise merged into NBA in 1976. As soon as this happened, the Knicks demanded $4.8 million as compensation for entering their territory. Meanwhile, the Nets also became incapable of raising Erving’s salary, as promised, because of the cost incurred in joining the NBA.

The team believed the solution to their problems lay in trading Erving to the Knicks for the $4.8 million to be waived. But the Sixers entered the scene and bought Erving’s contract outright for $3 million. Following this, Williams drafted Maurice Cheeks in the 1978 draft and the 76ers reached the finals in 1979-80. However, the Lakers outperformed them in the series, claiming a 4-2 win. Making another step in the direction of the championship, Williams drafted Andrew Toney into the league. The team made yet another appearance in the finals series, but the Lakers again got the best of them. 

However, finally came the season (1982-83) that the Sixers had their revenge on the Lakers with a clean sweep. And Charles Barkley’s addition was supposed to give hope for the 76ers dynasty — something similar to what the Celtics and Lakers had back then. But after two consecutive failed attempts to make it to the finals, Pat Williams gave up on this dream. But there is more to his contribution to the basketball world that continues to live on. 

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