Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia City has one of the finest and most knowledgeable sports fans in the United States. It is one of the thirteen cities in the country to have teams in all four major leagues, A. K. A Big Four. The Philadelphia Eagles (NFL), the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), the Philadelphia Phillies (MLB), and the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL). However, the love for basketball is unmatched in this city, as the melodious sound of hoops swoosh can be heard in every corner of the street. And, the 76ers are in the heartbeat of every fan.

The city has witnessed some of the most dominant players representing their franchise. Namely, Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and Allen Iverson.

History

The team was initially formed in 1939 in Syracuse, New York under the team name, The Syracuse Nationals. The Nats weren?t part of any league until it joined the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1946. Eventually, the team became one of the 11 original teams that played in the inaugural season of the NBA merger. At that time, the league already had a team with Philly, the Philadelphia Warriors, which is currently known as the Golden State Warriors. However, in 1962, when the Warriors abandoned Philadelphia and moved to the Bay area, the Nats got their new home city. The ?76ers? refers to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776. However, before changing the name to 76ers, the Nats had already won their first title in 1955. Following that, the Sixers have two titles (1967, 1983). The arrival of legends like Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving and Allen Iverson marked the birth of different eras in the Sixers franchise.?

Who is the owner of the Philadelphia 76ers?

The team is currently owned by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), an entertainment company formed by Josh Harris and David Blitzer. Harris bought the franchise from Comcast-Spectacor for $280 million. Apart from the Sixers, HBSE also owns an NHL team, the New Jersey Devils. Before Comcast-Spectacor, the franchise has seen five different combinations of ownership since 1947. Notably, Danny Biason, the founding owner of the Syracuse Nationals, owned the team for 16 years between 1947 and 1963.?

Retired jerseys of the Sixers

The Sixers have been part of the league since its inception. Technically, it was present way before the league?s formation in 1946. In this 77-year-long history, the franchise has produced amazing talent. In retrospect, some players literally carried the franchise on their shoulders. Let?s find out some of the players who have been honored by the franchise.?

#13 Wilt Chamberlain?

Even though the fans don?t remember Wilton Norman Chamberlain?s contribution to the Sixers, he definitely made an impression in the pages of NBA history. The man who dropped the most points in a single game, 100 points. He led the team to its second championship in 1967 and also won MVP awards in 1966, 67, and 68.

#2 Moses Malone

Moses Eugene Malone Sr. entered the league in 1974 representing the Utah Stars. He established himself as an influential player in his rookie season with an impressive average of 18.8 points. He donned the Sixers jersey in the 1982-83 season and realized a 16-year-long dream to win a championship. Moreover, he was also honored with the Finals MVP in that season.?

#6 Julius Erwing

The Sixers acquired Julius ?Dr.J? Erving from the New Jersey Nets in 1976 and opened the door for the next era of the franchise. He played the next eleven seasons for the 76ers and ended his career with an average of 27.3 points. He also played an influential role in the 1983 championship season.

#34 Charles Barkley

The team acquired him as the 5th pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. Even though he couldn?t win a ring in his career, he has established an unerasable place in history. In his 16-season-long career, he was 11x NBA All-Star and won a MVP award for the Phoenix Suns.?

#3 Allen Iverson

Unlike others, he came into the side during the dark phase of the franchise where nothing was going right. The 6? 0 tall star's unbelievable athleticism and shooting skills made him the face of the Sixers in the 1990s. Iverson?s love-hate relationship with the head coach Larry Brown repeatedly hit the front pages. Even though he couldn?t take his team home in the 2001 NBA Finals against the mighty Los Angeles Lakers, he won the hearts of Philly people.?

The 76ers roster for the 2023-24 season

Coaching Staff and Key Members of Front Office

Jersey and Sponsors?

In 2017, the team jersey sponsors moved from Adidas to Nike. The standard edition has blue and white jerseys with a red drop shadow of ?Phila? written across the chest with numbers. Moreover, the phrase ?Brotherly love? is also embroidered on the hemline. The alternate jerseys are in complete red with the same pattern. Apart from that, the players also don City Edition and Hardwood Classics edition.

The team?s main sponsor is? Crypto.com and other major sponsors include 97.5 The Fanatic, BioSteel, Penn Medicine, BetMGM, Kia and Coca-Cola.

Mascot

Franklin the Dog is the franchise mascot. A blue giant dog sporting the 76ers jersey can spotted in the home games of the Sixers held at Wells Fargo Center.?

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