1946–1963: Syracuse Nationals joined the Nationals in 1958 and spent his entire 15-season career with the franchise; he won a championship with the team in 1967. In 1946, Italian immigrant
Danny Biasone established the Syracuse Nationals of the
National Basketball League (NBL) in
Syracuse, New York, for $5,000. While in the NBL with teams largely consisting of small Midwestern towns, the Nationals put together a 21–23 record, finishing in fourth place. In the playoffs, the Nationals were beaten by the
Rochester Royals in four games. In their second season,
1947–48, the Nationals struggled, finishing in fifth place with a 24–36 record. Despite their record, they made the playoffs, and were swept by the
Anderson Duffey Packers in three straight games. Prior to the 1948–49 season, four teams left the NBL for the BAA as the foundation for a merger was laid. The Nationals "recipe for success" began by recruiting
Leo Ferris. Staying in the NBL, Ferris signed
Al Cervi to be player-coach and outbid the New York Knicks for the services of
Dolph Schayes who made his professional debut, leading the Nationals to a winning record for the first time with a record of 40–23. In the playoffs the Nationals defeated the
Hammond Calumet Buccaneers, winning the series in two straight games. In the semifinals, the Nationals lost to the Anderson Duffey Packers for the second straight season in four games. In 1949, when the NBL and the BAA merged into the
NBA, the Nationals were one of seven NBL teams that were brought into the NBA. From 1949 to 1956, the team would wear gold on their "Nats" home jersey while wearing gold "Syracuse" jerseys from 1953 to 1956. The Nationals were an instant success in the NBA, winning the Eastern Division in the
1949–50 season, with a league-best record of
51–13. In the playoffs the Nationals continued to play solid basketball, beating the
Philadelphia Warriors in two games. Moving on to the Eastern Finals, the Nationals battled the
New York Knickerbockers, beating their big-city rivals in a three-game series. In the NBA Finals, the Nationals faced a fellow NBL alum in the
Minneapolis Lakers. In Game 1 of the Finals the Nationals lost just their second home game of the season, 68–66. The Nationals did not recover, as they fell behind 3–1 before falling in six games. Despite several teams leaving the NBA for the
National Professional Basketball League before the 1950–51 season, the Nationals decided to stay put. In their second NBA season,
1950–51, the Nationals played mediocre basketball all season, finishing in fourth place with a record of 32–34. In the playoffs the Nationals played their best basketball of the season as they stunned the first-place Warriors in two straight, taking Game 1 on the road in overtime 91–89. In the Eastern Finals, the Nationals were beaten by the New York Knickerbockers in a hard-fought five-game series, losing the finale by just two points. Cervi, playing less and coaching more, emphasized a patient offense and a scrappy defense, which led the league in the
1951–52 season by yielding a stingy 79.5 points per game as the Nationals won the Eastern Division with a solid 40–26 record. In the playoffs, the Nationals knocked off the Warriors again in a three-game series. In the Eastern Finals, the Nationals fell to the Knickerbockers again, dropping the series in four games. The Nationals finished in second place in a hard-fought 3-way battle for first place in the Eastern Division for the
1952–53 season, with a record of 47–24. In the playoffs, the Nationals faced the
Boston Celtics, dropping Game 1 at home 87–81. Needing a win in Boston to keep their hopes alive, the Nationals took the Celtics deep into overtime before losing in quadruple OT 111–105, in what remains the longest playoff game in NBA history. The Nationals acquired
Alex Groza, and
Ralph Beard as the
Indianapolis Olympians folded leaving the NBA with just 9 teams for the
1953–54 season. Once again the Nationals battled for the Division title, falling two games short with a 42–30 record. In the playoffs, the Nationals won all four games of a round-robin tournament involving the three playoff teams from the East. In the Eastern Finals, the Nationals beat the Celtics in two straight games. In the NBA Finals, the Nationals lost to the Lakers in a hard-fought seven-game series where the two teams alternated wins throughout. With the NBA struggling financially and down to just 8 teams during the
1954–55 season, Nationals owner Biasone suggested the league limit the amount of time that could be taken for a shot, thus speeding up a game that often ended with long periods of teams just holding the ball and playing keep away. Biasone and Nationals' general manager Ferris calculated a 24-second
shot clock would allow at least 30 shots per quarter, speeding up the game and increasing scoring. The shot clock was an instant success as scoring was up 14 points per game league-wide. In the first season of the shot clock, the Nationals would take first place in the East with a 43–29 record. After a first-round bye the Nationals would beat the Celtics in four games to reach the NBA Finals for the second straight season. In the finals the Nationals would get off to a fast start, led by forward Schayes, taking the first two games at home against the
Fort Wayne Pistons. As the series moved to Fort Wayne the Pistons would spark back to life taking all three games to take a 3–2 series lead. Back in Syracuse for Game 6 on, the Nationals kept their championship hopes alive by beating the Pistons 109–104 to force a seventh game at home. Game 7 would be as tight as the series as
George King sank a free throw to give the Nationals a 92–91 lead in the final seconds. King then stole the inbound pass to clinch the NBA Championship for the Nationals. Coming off their NBA Championship the Nationals struggled during the
1955–56 season, needing a tiebreaker over the Knickerbockers to avoid finishing in last place and make the playoffs with a 35–37 record. In the playoffs, the Nationals stunned the Celtics by winning the first-round series in three games, taking the final two. In the Eastern Finals, the Nationals played solid basketball again as they pushed the Warriors to a decisive fifth game. The Nationals' reign as defending champions ended with a 109–104 loss in
Philadelphia. After the season, the team dropped gold from their uniforms, wearing just red and blue for the remainder of their tenure. The Nationals got off to a slow start as coach Cervi was fired and replaced by
Paul Seymour. Under Seymour, the Nationals rebounded and finished the
1956–57 season in second place with a record of 38–34. In the playoffs, the Nationals had trouble knocking off the defending champion Warriors but advanced to the Eastern Finals with two straight wins. The Nationals were swept in three games by the eventual champions, the Celtics. Fort Wayne and Rochester had moved on to Detroit and Cincinnati for the
1957–58 season, leaving the Syracuse Nationals as the last small-town team in the big city NBA. Regardless, they still finished in second place with a 41–31 record. In the playoffs, the Nationals fell in the first round as they lost a three-game series to the Philadelphia Warriors. Despite a mediocre 35–37 record for the
1958–59 season the Nationals made the playoffs again by finishing in third place. In the playoffs, the Nationals swept the Knickerbockers in two straight to reach the Eastern Finals, where they lost to the eventual champion Celtics, alternating wins before losing by 5 points in Game 7. Playing in a league now dominated by superstars like
Bill Russell of the Celtics,
Wilt Chamberlain of the Warriors,
Bob Pettit of the
St. Louis Hawks and
Elgin Baylor of the Lakers, the Nationals held their own, posting a solid 45–30 record, while finishing in third place after the 1959–60 regular season. In the playoffs, the Nationals lost a three-game series to Chamberlain and the Warriors. When the Lakers moved from
Minneapolis to Los Angeles before the
1960–61 season, the Syracuse Nationals became the last old NBL team to still be playing in their original city in the NBA. The Nationals went on to make the playoffs again by finishing in third place with a 38–41 record. The Nationals were dangerous in the playoffs as they stunned the Warriors in three straight games. In the Eastern Finals, the Nationals lost once again to the eventual champion Celtics in five games. Schayes missed 24 games during the
1961–62 season and failed to lead the team in scoring for the first time in 14 years, as Hal Greer led the way with 22.8 points per game. The Nationals finished in third place again with a 41–39 record. In the playoffs, the Nationals lost their first two games to the Warriors on the road. Facing elimination, the Nationals won the next two games to force a fifth game in Philadelphia. In Game 5 the Warriors ended the Nationals' season with a 121–104 victory. With an aging team, the Nationals were expected to fade; however, with the scrappy play of
Johnny Kerr, the Nationals remained a strong contender, finishing in second place for the
1962–63 season, with a record of 48–32. In the playoffs the Nationals faced the
Cincinnati Royals, getting off to a 2–1 series lead. Needing one win to advance to the Eastern Finals again the Nationals lost two straight, dropping the decisive fifth game at home in overtime 131–127.
Move to Philadelphia , previous home of the
Philadelphia Warriors from 1952 to 1962 and home of the 76ers from 1963 to 1967 The playoff overtime loss on March 26, 1963, would be the last game for the Syracuse Nationals. Investors
Irv Kosloff and
Ike Richman purchased the team from
Danny Biasone and moved the team to Philadelphia, filling the void left by the
Warriors, who had moved to San Francisco. Syracuse was the last of the medium-sized cities with an NBA team, but by then it was apparent that central New York was no longer large enough to support it. The NBA thus returned to Philadelphia one year after the Warriors had left it. A contest was held to pick a new name for the team: "76ers", nominated by Walter Stalberg and alluding to the signing of the
United States Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776. The shorter name was quickly accepted by the team for marketing purposes, and for most of the last six decades "76ers" and "Sixers" have been officially interchangeable. For their first four years in Philadelphia, the 76ers played mostly at the
Philadelphia Arena and
Civic Center-Convention Hall, and occasionally at
The Palestra at the
University of Pennsylvania. Schayes was named head coach, a post he held for four years (the first as player-coach).
1964–1968: Wilt Chamberlain era joined the 76ers in 1965 and led the team to the NBA title in 1967. In the
1964–65 season, the 76ers acquired from the Warriors
Wilt Chamberlain, a high school legend at Philadelphia's Overbrook High School who had begun his career with the Warriors in the city. The 76ers pushed the Celtics to seven games in the semifinals, with the 76ers trailing 110–109 in Game 7. After
Hal Greer's pass was stolen by
John Havlicek, the Celtics beat the
Los Angeles Lakers and won the NBA Championship. On December 3, 1965, during a game at the Boston Garden, co-owner Richman suffered a heart attack and died courtside.
1966–1967: First title in Philadelphia Led by head coach
Alex Hannum, the 76ers had a dream season: starting 46–4 and finishing 68–13, the best record in league history at the time. Chamberlain,
Billy Cunningham, and Greer, along with all-stars
Chet Walker,
Lucious Jackson, and
Wali Jones led the team to the semifinals, where the 76ers beat the Celtics in five games, ending Boston's eight-year reign as NBA champions.
The Finals were almost anticlimactic; the Sixers beat the Warriors in six games to earn their second NBA championship. During the
NBA's 35th anniversary celebration in 1980, the
1966–67 76ers would be voted the best team in league history.
1967–1968: First year at the Spectrum In the
1967–68 season, with a new home court at
The Spectrum, the 76ers returned to the playoffs. In a rematch of the previous year's semifinals, the 76ers held a 3–1 series lead before the Celtics rallied to win in seven games.
1968–1976: Fall of the 76ers played nine seasons with the 76ers from 1965 to 1972, and later coached the team for eight seasons from 1977 to 1985. At the end of the season, the 76ers dealt Chamberlain to the
Los Angeles Lakers for Archie Clark, Darrall Imhoff, and Jerry Chambers. At the time, the trade appeared to make some sense from the 76ers' perspective. Chamberlain was talking about jumping to the
American Basketball Association, and general manager
Jack Ramsay did not want to risk letting Chamberlain walk away for nothing. The 76ers' performance declined, after Chamberlain's replacement at center, Lucious Jackson, suffered a severe injury in 1969 and Ramsay traded All-Star forward Chet Walker to the
Chicago Bulls. In the next three years, the 76ers never got past the second round of playoffs. In 1971–72, only five years after winning the title, the 76ers finished 30–52 and missed postseason play for the first time in franchise history. The bottom fell out in the
1972–73 season. Ramsay left for the expansion
Buffalo Braves, and the 76ers had trouble finding a replacement;
Al McGuire and
Adolph Rupp turned them down. Kosloff was so desperate for a replacement that he took out an ad in
The Philadelphia Inquirer. It was answered by
Roy Rubin, longtime head coach at
Long Island University. For all intents and purposes, the season ended when Cunningham bolted to the ABA on the same day Rubin was introduced as head coach. This left the 76ers with a roster of Greer and little else. The 76ers lost their first 15 games of the season, and a few months later set a then-record
20-game losing streak in a single season. Their record following the 20-game losing streak was 4–58, and the team at that point had just lost 34 of 35 games. The 76ers finished the season with a 9–73 record, leading the skeptical Philadelphia press to call them the "Nine and 73-ers". Rubin was fired after 51 games and a 4–47 record; as it turned out, it would be his only NBA coaching job. He was succeeded by player-coach
Kevin Loughery, who went 5–26 the rest of the way. The 76ers finished an NBA-record 59 games behind the Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics. Only six years after tallying the most wins in NBA history, the
1972–73 squad notched the fourth-fewest wins in NBA history, and still the fewest for a full 82-game season. The 73 losses, although threatened several times, remains the all-time low-water mark for any NBA franchise. The 76ers' 0.110 winning percentage was a record worst at the time, and would remain the lowest until the
2011–12 Charlotte Bobcats finished 7–59 for a .106 winning percentage in a season shortened due to
a lockout. The 76ers of 1972–73 are generally considered to be the worst team ever to take the court in NBA history. In 2007, NBA historian Kyle Wright argued that the
1992–93 Dallas Mavericks and
1997–98 Denver Nuggets, both of whom won eleven games, plus
the inaugural Cleveland Cavaliers, who won 15 games, were actually poorer teams due to much weaker schedules. The next year, the 76ers would hire
Gene Shue as their head coach and they slowly came back. In the
1975–76 season, the 76ers acquired
George McGinnis from the
Indiana Pacers of the ABA (after the Knicks tried to sign him, not knowing that the 76ers owned his rights). With him, the 76ers were back in the playoffs after a five-year absence, and even though they lost to the
Buffalo Braves in three games, a doctor would come along and get the team healthy enough to stay in perennial contention. During this period, one last personnel misjudgment had effects when the team used the fifth pick overall in the 1975 draft to select
Darryl Dawkins directly from high school. The immensely talented and physically imposing Dawkins seldom, if ever, lived up to his great potential in part because of a perpetual adolescence.
1976–1987: Julius Erving era played 11 seasons with the 76ers from 1976 to 1987, leading the 76ers to four NBA Finals and ultimately winning an NBA championship in 1983. The 76ers finally came all the way back in 1976–77, in large part due to the
ABA–NBA merger. The ABA's last champions, the
New York Nets, were facing a burden of $5 million to the Knicks for entering the
New York metropolitan area on top of the $3.2 million expansion fee for joining the NBA. So, when the 76ers offered to buy the contract of the Nets' franchise player,
Julius Erving, for $3 million—roughly the cost of NBA membership—the Nets had little choice but to accept. A few months before that trade, Kosloff had sold the 76ers to
Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr. on May 28, 1976. Led by Erving, the 76ers began an exciting ride, beating their long-time
rival from Boston in a seven-game playoff series to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. There, they defeated the
Houston Rockets, led by future 76er
Moses Malone, in six games to advance to the NBA Finals. In the Finals, they sprinted to a 2–0 series lead over the
Bill Walton-led
Portland Trail Blazers—who were coached by former 76ers' coach/general manager Jack Ramsay—only to drop the next four games in a row to give the Blazers the title. That led to the 1977–78 motto of "We owe you one", which would ultimately backfire when they lost in the conference finals that season to the
Washington Bullets, who went on to win the NBA championship. In the next four seasons, the 76ers would fall short of the NBA Championship, even after Shue handed the coaching reins to former great Billy Cunningham. In the
1980 NBA Finals against the
Los Angeles Lakers, they lost 4–2. In Game Six, rookie
Magic Johnson played center for the Lakers in place of
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (who was out because of a sprained ankle sustained in Game Five) and scored 42 points. In the 1981 Eastern Conference Finals, the 76ers opened a 3–1 series lead over the Celtics only to see Boston come back and win the series in seven games. The following season, the 76ers again faced the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, and again jumped to a 3–1 series lead only to see Boston forge a 3–3 series tie. The 76ers were given little chance of winning as they faced the Celtics in Game Seven at
Boston Garden. This time, they played angry but inspired basketball, pulling away to a 120–106 victory and becoming the third NBA road team to win
Game 7 after leading the series 3–1. In the game's closing moments, the Boston Garden fans began chanting "Beat L.A., Beat L.A.", as they realized their team would lose the playoff series to a hated opponent (Philadelphia 76ers), but nonetheless openly wished that opponent good luck in the next round against a more hated opponent (the Los Angeles Lakers). The team lost the
1982 Finals in six games against the Los Angeles Lakers.
1982–1983: Third NBA championship won MVP honors in 1983, the same year he led the 76ers to their first title in 16 years.
Harold Katz bought the 76ers from Dixon in 1981. On his watch, the final piece of the championship puzzle was completed before the
1982–83 season when they acquired center Moses Malone from the Houston Rockets. Led by
Hall of Famers Julius Erving,
Maurice Cheeks, and All-Stars
Andrew Toney and
Bobby Jones, they dominated the regular season, winning 65 games in what is still the second most winning year in franchise history. Malone was named League MVP, and when reporters asked how the playoffs would run, he answered, "four, four, four"—in other words, saying that the 76ers needed to win four games in each of the three rounds. Malone's accent made his boast sound like "fo', fo', fo'." The 76ers backed up Malone's boast. They made a mockery of the Eastern Conference playoffs, first sweeping the
New York Knicks and then beating the
Milwaukee Bucks in five games. The 76ers went on to win their third NBA championship (and second in Philadelphia) with a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, who had defeated them the season before. Malone was named the playoffs' MVP. The 76ers did not quite fulfill Malone's prediction, as their run was actually "fo', fi', fo" ("four, five, four") – a loss to the Bucks in game four of the Eastern finals being the only blemish on their playoff run. Nonetheless, their 12–1 playoff record is tied for the fewest losses in league history with the 2000–01 Lakers, who went 15–1 en route to the NBA title, coincidentally beating the 76ers in the Finals (after suffering their only defeat that postseason in Game 1), and also with the 2016–2017
Golden State Warriors, who won the title with a 16–1 playoff record. The Philadelphia-based group
Pieces Of A Dream had a minor hit in 1983 with the R&B song "Fo-Fi-Fo", which title was prompted by Malone's quip. This also marked the last major-pro championship in Philadelphia until the
Phillies won the
2008 World Series.
Arrival of Charles Barkley After a disappointing
1983–84 season, which ended with a five-game loss to the upstart
New Jersey Nets in the first round of the
playoffs,
Charles Barkley arrived in Philadelphia for the
1984–85 season. For the next eight seasons, Barkley brought delight to the Philadelphia fans thanks to his humorous and sometimes controversial ways. The 76ers returned to the Eastern Conference Finals in Barkley's rookie season, but lost to the
Boston Celtics in five games. As it turned out, they would never again advance as far during Barkley's tenure in Philadelphia. Following the 1984–85 season,
Matt Guokas replaced Billy Cunningham as head coach. Guokas led the 76ers to a 54–28 record and the second round of the
1986 playoffs, where they were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games. On June 16, 1986, Katz made two of the most controversial and highly criticized personnel moves in franchise history, trading Moses Malone to Washington and the first overall pick in the
1986 NBA draft, which had been obtained from the
San Diego Clippers in a 1979 trade for
Joe Bryant, to the
Cleveland Cavaliers. In return, the 76ers received
Roy Hinson,
Jeff Ruland, and
Cliff Robinson, none of whom played more than three seasons with the team. Cleveland, meanwhile, turned their acquired pick into future All-Star
Brad Daugherty. On the night of the
1986–87 season opener, Julius Erving announced he would retire after the season, which was subsequently filled with tributes in each arena the 76ers visited. On the court, the team suffered through an injury-plagued campaign, but still managed to make the playoffs with a 45–37 record. Their season would end at the hands of the Bucks again, this time in a best-of-five first-round series that went the distance.
1987–1992: Charles Barkley era played eight seasons with the 76ers from 1984 to 1992 In
1987–88, with the team's record at 20–23, Guokas was fired and replaced by assistant coach
Jim Lynam. Lynam finished the season 16–23, to bring Philadelphia's overall mark to 36–46. For the first time since the
1974–75 season, the 76ers failed to reach the playoffs. Philadelphia selected
Charles Smith with its first pick (third overall) in the
1988 NBA draft, then traded his rights to the Los Angeles Clippers for their first pick (sixth overall), and
Hersey Hawkins. In five seasons with the 76ers, Hawkins would average 19 points per game, and was the team's all-time leader in three-point field goals attempted and made when he was traded to the
Charlotte Hornets for
Dana Barros,
Sidney Green and draft picks in 1993. In 1988–89, Philadelphia returned to the playoffs after a one-year absence, but was swept in the first round by the
New York Knicks. In 1989–90, Barkley finished second in the league's MVP voting, as the 76ers won the Atlantic Division title with a 53–29 record. After defeating Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs, Philadelphia faced
Michael Jordan and the
Chicago Bulls in the second round. The 76ers fell to the Chicago Bulls in five games, and would do the same in
1991 after sweeping the Bucks in the first round. In the
1991–92 season, the 76ers went 35–47 and missed the playoffs for just the second time during Barkley's eight seasons in Philadelphia. On June 17, 1992, Barkley was traded to the
Phoenix Suns for
Jeff Hornacek,
Tim Perry, and
Andrew Lang, a deal that was met with harsh criticism.
1992–1996: Dark ages purchased the 76ers in 1996. Lynam relinquished his head coaching position to become general manager following the 1991–92 season, and hired
Doug Moe to fill the vacancy. Moe's tenure lasted just 56 games, with the 76ers posting a 19–37 record. Popular former player and longtime assistant coach
Fred Carter succeeded Moe as head coach in March 1993, but could only manage a 32–76 record at the helm. Following the
1993–94 season, the 76ers hired
John Lucas in the dual role of head coach and general manager. The enthusiastic Lucas had been successful as a head coach for the
San Antonio Spurs, and Philadelphia hoped he could breathe new life into the 76ers. It proved disastrous, as the team went 42–122 in its two seasons under Lucas. The acquisition of unproductive free agents such as
Scott Williams and
Charles Shackleford, players at the end of their careers such as
LaSalle Thompson,
Orlando Woolridge, and
Scott Skiles along with stunningly unwise high draft picks such as
Shawn Bradley and
Sharone Wright were also factors in the team's decline. In fact, Wright would only play four seasons in the NBA while Temple product
Eddie Jones—drafted 4 slots below Wright in 1994 by the L.A. Lakers—had 16 productive seasons as an NBA player. Starting with the
1990–91 season, and ending with the
1995–96 season, the 76ers had the dubious distinction of seeing their win total decrease each year. The nadir was the 1995–96 season, when they finished with an 18–64 record, the second-worst in franchise history at the time. It was also the second-worst record in the league that year, ahead of only the expansion
Vancouver Grizzlies but behind the
Toronto Raptors, who were also in their inaugural season. That season would turn out to be their last in
The Spectrum. Katz, unpopular among fans since the 1986 trades, sold the team to
Comcast Spectacor, a consortium of
Philadelphia Flyers owner
Ed Snider and
Comcast Corporation, at the end of the 1995–96 season. Snider had been the 76ers' landlord since gaining control of the Spectrum in 1971.
Pat Croce, a former trainer for the Flyers and 76ers, took over as president. Many 76ers fans call these years "The Dark Ages". After many years of misfortune, there was a bright spot. The team won the lottery for the top pick in the
1996 NBA draft. Questions remained, but with the first pick, the 76ers selected
Allen Iverson, who was nicknamed "the Answer".
1996–2006: Allen Iverson era With new ownership, Iverson in place, and the 76ers moving into the
CoreStates Center, things seemed to finally be heading in a positive direction. Croce fired Lucas as both coach and general manager.
Johnny Davis was named head coach, while Brad Greenberg took over as general manager. Iverson was named Rookie of the Year, but Philadelphia's overall improvement was minimal, as they finished with a 22–60 record. Changes had to be made, and after the
1996–97 season, Davis and Greenberg were both fired and the unveiling of a new 76ers team logo and jerseys marked a new era. To replace Davis,
Larry Brown was hired as head coach. Known for a defense-first approach and transforming unsuccessful teams into winners by "playing the right way", Brown faced perhaps his toughest coaching challenge. He often clashed with Iverson, but the 76ers improved to 31 wins in 1997–98. Early in the
1997–98 season, the 76ers traded
Jerry Stackhouse, who had been the third overall pick in the
1995 NBA draft, to the
Detroit Pistons. In exchange, Philadelphia received
Aaron McKie and
Theo Ratliff, defensive standouts who would have an impact in the team's resurgence. Another key figure in the team's rise,
Eric Snow, was added in a trade with the
Seattle SuperSonics in January 1998. Prior to the
1998–99 season, the 76ers signed
George Lynch and
Matt Geiger, but a lockout delayed the start of the season, which was shortened to 50 games. During the season, Philadelphia acquired
Tyrone Hill in a trade with Milwaukee. The team began its resurgence during this lockout-shortened season, finishing with a 28–22 record and the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, marking the first time since 1991 the team reached the postseason. In the first round, Philadelphia upset the
Orlando Magic 3–1, before being swept by the
Indiana Pacers. The following season, the 76ers improved to 49–33, fifth in the Eastern Conference. Again, the 76ers won their first-round series in four games, this time defeating the
Charlotte Hornets. For the second straight year, they were defeated by Indiana in the second round, this time in six games. Though the team was moving in a positive direction, Iverson and Brown continued to clash, and their relationship deteriorated to the point where it seemed certain Iverson would be traded. A rumored trade to the
Los Angeles Clippers fell through, but a complicated four-team deal that would've seen Iverson sent to Detroit was agreed upon, only to see it dissolve due to salary cap problems. When it became clear Iverson was staying in Philadelphia, he and Brown worked to patch things up, and the team would reap the benefits in 2000–01.
2000–2001 season: NBA Finals loss to the Lakers won Most Valuable Player honors in 2001 while leading the 76ers to the NBA Finals. coached the 76ers from 1997 to 2003 and was named Coach of the Year in 2001. During the
2000–01 season, the 76ers got off to a hot start by winning their first ten games and were never seriously challenged in the Atlantic Division. Larry Brown coached the Eastern Conference All-Stars, and Allen Iverson was named MVP of the All-Star Game. Shortly before the All-Star break, Theo Ratliff was lost for the season with a wrist injury, one that would later prove to be devastating to his future career. Despite holding a 41–14 record and a comfortable lead atop both the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference standings at the time of the February 22 trade deadline, management felt the team needed an established center to advance deep into the playoffs. On that day, Philadelphia acquired
Dikembe Mutombo from the
Atlanta Hawks in a deal that sent the injured Ratliff along with
Nazr Mohammed,
Toni Kukoč, and
Pepe Sánchez to Atlanta (Sánchez was reacquired later in the season after the Hawks waived him). The 76ers went on to finish 56–26, good enough for their first Atlantic Division title since 1989–90 and top seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. In the first round of the playoffs, Philadelphia faced Indiana yet again. In Game One, the 76ers wasted an 18-point lead and lost, 79–78, when
Reggie Miller hit a three-pointer in the closing seconds. Philadelphia fought back and won the next three games to win the series. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the 76ers squared off against the Toronto Raptors and their superstar,
Vince Carter. The teams alternated wins in the first four games, with Iverson scoring 54 points in Philadelphia's Game Two victory. A Game Five win with Iverson scoring 52 in a 121–88 rout, and a Game Six loss set up a decisive Game Seven, which the 76ers survived as Carter missed a long jump shot at the buzzer for an 88–87 victory that sent the 76ers to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. After the teams split the first two games of the series in Philadelphia, it was learned Iverson would miss Game Three due to various nagging injuries that had plagued him late in the season. Though most predicted a Milwaukee cakewalk, the 76ers kept the game close before falling, 80–74. Philadelphia seemed to gain momentum despite the loss, and they would win Games Four and Five. Milwaukee put any Sixer celebration plans on hold by building up a 33-point lead in the third quarter of Game Six, but the 76ers would make a furious fourth-quarter rally before falling 110–100. Struggling in the series up to that point, Iverson scored 26 points in the final quarter to finish with 46 on the night and appeared to have gotten a second wind. In Game Seven, the Bucks jumped out to a 34–25 second-quarter advantage before seldom-used reserve
Raja Bell scored 10 points to spark a 23–4 run that gave Philadelphia the lead for good. Iverson scored 44 points and the 76ers pulled away in the second half, winning by a 108–91 score to put them in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1983. As had been the case in their three previous Finals appearances, their opponent would be the Los Angeles Lakers, who had run up an 11–0 record in the first three rounds of the playoffs and were expected by many to make quick work of a worn-down 76ers squad. Because of a seemingly meaningless loss to the lowly Chicago Bulls in the regular season finale with both the 76ers and the Lakers finishing with identical 56–26 records, though Los Angeles was awarded a higher seed based on tiebreakers, the NBA Finals marked the first time in the 2001 playoffs in which the 76ers had to start a series on the road. In Game 1, the Lakers jumped out to an 18–5 lead, but the 76ers stormed back to take a 15-point lead in the second half. Los Angeles rallied to force a 94–94 tie at the end of regulation before scoring the first five points of the overtime period, but the 76ers closed the game on a 13–2 run for a 107–101 triumph. Iverson hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:19 to go in the extra period, and followed that with a jump shot after which he infamously stepped over
Tyronn Lue after making the basket.
Eric Snow hit a running jump shot in the waning seconds with the shot clock expiring to clinch the stunning victory. The series would come back to Philadelphia even as Los Angeles took Game Two, 98–89. In Game Three,
Shaquille O'Neal fouled out late in the fourth quarter, and the 76ers pulled to within a point with less than a minute to play after trailing by 12 earlier in the second half.
Robert Horry hit a clutch three-pointer in that final minute, and the Lakers prevailed, 96–91. Los Angeles wrapped up the second of what would be three consecutive NBA titles with a 100–86 win in Game Four and a 108–96 victory in Game Five. In addition to their Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference titles, the
2000–01 76ers featured the NBA's MVP (Iverson), Coach of the Year (Brown), Defensive Player of the Year (Mutombo), and Sixth Man of the Year (
Aaron McKie).
Departure of Larry Brown The 76ers went into the
2001–02 season with high expectations, but were able to produce only a 43–39 record, sixth in the Eastern Conference. In the first round of the playoffs, Philadelphia was defeated 3–2 by the Boston Celtics. In the
2002–03 season, the 76ers sprinted to a 15–4 start, but a 10–20 swoon left them 25–24 at the All-Star break. After the break, the 76ers caught fire, winning nine in a row at one point, and 23 of their last 33 to finish at 48–34, earning the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Iverson scored 55 points in the playoff opener against the New Orleans Hornets and the 76ers went on to win the series in six games. In the second round, the Detroit Pistons ended Philadelphia's playoff run in a frustrating six-game series that saw the 76ers lose twice in overtime, and once on a last-second shot in regulation. It would be nine years before the 76ers won another playoff series. On Memorial Day, 2003, Brown abruptly resigned as head coach, taking over the reins in Detroit a few days later. Brown's Pistons would win the
2004 NBA Championship over the
Los Angeles Lakers, in some ways avenging his loss to them in 2001. After being turned down by
Jeff Van Gundy and
Eddie Jordan, the 76ers hired
Randy Ayers, an assistant coach under Brown, as their new head coach. Ayers lasted only 52 games and was fired with the team's record at 21–31.
Chris Ford took over, but the 76ers finished the
2003–04 season at 33–49, missing the playoffs for the first time in six years. Iverson, who was at odds with Ford throughout the interim coach's tenure, played only 48 games in a stormy, injury-plagued season.
Arrival of Andre Iguodala played with the 76ers from 2004 to 2012 For the
2004–05 season, Philadelphia native
Jim O'Brien was named head coach. Iverson was moved back to point guard and flourished, having arguably his finest season. He also impressed many with his willingness to get other players involved in the offense. During this season, Philadelphia acquired
Chris Webber in a trade with the
Sacramento Kings, with the hopes that the team had at long last found a consistent second scoring option to complement Iverson.
Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia's first-round pick in the
2004 NBA draft, was named to the All-Rookie First Team, and the 76ers returned to the
postseason with a 43–39 record. In the first round, they were defeated in five games by the defending NBA Champion Pistons, coached by Larry Brown. Though in the 2004–05 season the 76ers exceeded many on-court expectations, there was a great deal of behind-the-scenes tension between O'Brien, his players, and the front office. Shortly after the season ended, O'Brien was fired and replaced by the popular
Maurice Cheeks, who played for the team from 1978 to 1989, and was the starting point guard for the 1983 NBA Champions. The coaching change did not help the team's fortunes for the
2005–06 season. A 2–10 stretch in March doomed them to missing the playoffs for the second time in three years with a 38–44 record. With the opening of the
2006–07 season, the 76ers started out hot, going 3–0 for the first time since making it to the Finals five years previously. They stumbled through the first half of the season and did not recover, finishing 35–47, good for third in the Atlantic Division, and ninth in the Eastern Conference (tied with Indiana). On December 5, 2006, disappointed with the direction the team was headed, Allen Iverson gave the 76ers management an ultimatum:
find players who will help support me or trade me. This was confirmed via an in-game interview with team owner,
Ed Snider.
2006–2016: Post-Iverson era On December 19, 2006, the 76ers traded franchise player
Allen Iverson, along with
Ivan McFarlin, to the
Denver Nuggets in exchange for
Andre Miller,
Joe Smith, and two first-round draft picks, marking the end of the Iverson era in Philadelphia. Shortly afterward, the team reached a contract buyout agreement with veteran forward
Chris Webber, signaling the beginning of a rebuilding period centered around
Andre Iguodala. The 76ers finished the
2006–07 season with a 35–47 record. returned to Philadelphia for part of the 2009–10 season. In the
2007 NBA draft, the 76ers selected forward
Thaddeus Young with the 12th overall pick. On December 4, 2007, the team fired general manager
Billy King and hired former
New Jersey Nets executive
Ed Stefanski. Led by Iguodala and Miller, the 76ers clinched a playoff berth during the
2007–08 season, their first postseason appearance since 2005 and first since Iverson's departure. Philadelphia finished 40–42 after recovering from being 12 games under .500 earlier in the season, but lost to the
Detroit Pistons in six games during the first round of the playoffs. During the 2008 offseason, the 76ers signed All-Star forward
Elton Brand to a five-year contract in an attempt to transition from rebuilding into contention. The team also re-signed Iguodala and
Lou Williams. After a 9–14 start during the
2008–09 season, head coach
Maurice Cheeks was fired and replaced on an interim basis by assistant coach
Tony DiLeo. Despite losing Brand to a season-ending shoulder injury, the 76ers finished 41–41 and qualified for the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Philadelphia took a 2–1 series lead against the
Orlando Magic in the first round before losing the series in six games. The 76ers hired former
Washington Wizards coach
Eddie Jordan before the
2009–10 season and selected
Jrue Holiday with the 17th overall pick in the
2009 NBA draft. The franchise also reintroduced a modified version of its classic 1977–97 logo and uniforms.
Iverson's brief return , who played for the team from 1973 to 1981, was hired as the 76ers' head coach in 2010. co-founder
Josh Harris led an investment group that purchased the team for $280 million. On December 2, 2009, the Philadelphia 76ers announced that they had signed Iverson to a one-year prorated $1.3 million non-guaranteed contract. The 76ers were 5–13 at the time and had lost Williams for at least 30 games to injury. Iverson made his "re-debut" for the 76ers against the team he was traded to, the Denver Nuggets, to a thunderous ovation from the sell-out crowd, scoring 11 points, with six assists and five rebounds. The euphoria that greeted Iverson's return to the 76ers faded quickly. On February 22, Iverson announced he was leaving the 76ers indefinitely to attend to his daughter's illness, and a few weeks later the 76ers announced that Iverson would not return for the rest of the season. The 76ers finished the season with a record of 27–55, their first 50-loss season since 1998. Most cited the reason behind this as the players' inability to play within Eddie Jordan's
Princeton offense, with several players unhappy with his system. Hours after the 76ers' last game at Orlando on April 14, the team fired Jordan after one season. He was the fourth coach to be fired after one season or less since Larry Brown left the team in 2003. On May 20, 2010, TNT analyst
Doug Collins was named head coach of the 76ers. Collins played for the 76ers for his entire NBA career after being the first overall pick in the
1973 draft, and had previously coached the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, and the Washington Wizards. The 76ers had the sixth-best odds at receiving the top pick in the
2010 draft, and they managed to land the second overall pick, beating out the Warriors, Kings, Timberwolves, and Nets, who all had better odds. They used that draft pick to select Ohio State University's
Evan Turner. The 76ers started the season with an uninspiring 3–13 mark, but started turning things around, to finish with a 41–41 record. They clinched a playoff berth on April 1, 2011, their third in the last four years. The 76ers faced the heavily favored Heat in the first round, and ultimately fell to them in five games. Although they lost the series, Collins was praised for turning around a lottery team in his first season, as well as winning a playoff game when many pundits predicted that the 76ers would be swept. Collins also finished second in Coach of the Year voting. On July 13, 2011, Comcast-Spectacor reached an agreement to sell the 76ers to an investment group led by
Apollo Global Management co-founder
Josh Harris for $280 million. Other members of the group included
David Blitzer,
Art Wrubel,
Jason Levien,
Adam Aron,
Martin Geller,
David Heller,
James Lassiter,
Marc Leder,
Michael Rubin,
Will Smith,
Jada Pinkett Smith, and
Erick Thohir. Harris decided to retain head coach Doug Collins and president of basketball operations Rod Thorn but fired Ed Stefanski, who served as general manager since 2007. For the season, the 76ers had their best start since 2000–01 with a 20–9 record, battling for the Eastern Conference's best record and taking a firm division lead. They finished the rest of the season 15–22, giving them a 35–31 record. Attributed to their lack of offense, the 76ers lost hold of the top-three seed and division championship that they held for most of the season, by going on the losing streak. Nevertheless, they clinched their fourth playoff berth in the last five years on the penultimate play date of the season. Philadelphia earned the eighth seed in the
2012 NBA playoffs, facing the first-seeded Bulls. Philadelphia improved from their struggles in the second half of the regular season, beating Chicago 4–2 to win their first series since 2003. This was the fifth time in NBA history that an eight seed has beaten a one seed. They then faced their rival, the
Boston Celtics, in the second round, and were eliminated 4–3. The 76ers again faced criticism for their lack of a true scorer, as they were not able to keep pace with the Celtics' scoring. In an effort to re-tool for the upcoming season, The 76ers selected
Maurice Harkless, and
Arnett Moultrie (via trade with Miami) in the
2012 NBA draft. The 76ers then used their amnesty clause on Brand, traded for
Dorell Wright, signed
Nick Young,
Kwame Brown, and Ivey, and re-signed
Spencer Hawes, while
Lavoy Allen, Williams, and
Jodie Meeks left through free agency. On August 9, 2012, the 76ers agreed to a four-team trade with the
Los Angeles Lakers, the Magic, and the Nuggets. In the trade that sent six-time All-Star
Dwight Howard to the Lakers, Philadelphia agreed to send 2011 first-round pick
Nikola Vučević, 2012 first-round draft pick Harkless, and a future first-round draft pick to Orlando, as well as All-Star
swingman Iguodala to Denver. In exchange, they received
Jason Richardson from the Magic and All-Star center
Andrew Bynum from the Los Angeles Lakers. The 76ers started the
2012–13 season with high expectations with the help of Bynum and the growth of the young 76ers. Bynum's debut with the 76ers took a hit when he was sidelined for precautionary reasons, in relation to the
Orthokine knee procedure he received during the off-season. At first it looked like Bynum would be out only shortly, but little success in healing and setbacks pushed Bynum's return date further and further. As a result of many setbacks, on March 19, the 76ers announced that Bynum would have season-ending surgery on both knees. Bynum was not the only Sixer to suffer through injuries. On February 8, Richardson also went through a season-ending knee surgery. Holiday, Thaddeus Young, Nick Young, and Ivey also had injuries that sidelined them for weeks. By the end of the season, Turner and Hawes were the only 76ers to play in every game during the season. The 76ers started the season 12–9 but stumbled through a tough stretch and could not recover. The 76ers finished the season 34–48, missing the playoffs for the first time since Collins had taken over as head coach. On April 18, Collins resigned as 76ers coach, citing his declining health and need to spend time with his grandchildren. He stayed with the team as an adviser. Soon after, general manager DiLeo had "cut ties" with the team. On May 11, it was announced that
Sam Hinkie, who had previously worked for the
Houston Rockets, would replace DiLeo as general manager. On July 8, it was announced that Adam Aron had stepped down as CEO and was being replaced by Scott O'Neil.
2013–2016: "The Process" , who coached the team from 2013 to 2020, in 2015 joined the team's front office in 2015. and
Ben Simmons were considered to be centerpieces of the 76ers' future. Following the 2012–13 season, the 76ers, led by Hinkie, chose to shift in the direction of rebuilding the franchise.
Tony Wroten, guard for the 76ers, referred to the major
rebuilding culture surrounding Philadelphia as "The Process". The first move of this new plan was executed during the
2013 draft, when the 76ers agreed in principle to trade All-Star
Jrue Holiday and the 42nd pick in the draft,
Pierre Jackson, to the
New Orleans Pelicans for
Nerlens Noel and the Pelicans' 2014 first-round pick. The trade was later made official on July 12. The trade was seen by some as somewhat surprising, as Holiday had been the team's marquee player and was coming off a season that saw him make his first
NBA All-Star Game. Additionally, Noel was recovering from an
anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered while in college, strongly indicating that he would not be able to make an immediate impact for the 76ers as he would be inactive to start the season. The 76ers used the 11th pick in the draft to select
Michael Carter-Williams as Holiday's replacement as the starting point guard. The 76ers chose
Arsalan Kazemi with the 54th overall pick, making Kazemi the first
Iranian chosen in the NBA draft. Following the Holiday trade, many of the team's returning players were either waived or left the team in free agency, most notably
Andrew Bynum; of the 15 players on the team's roster during their final game of the 2012–13 season, only six remained with the team by January 1, 2014. In their place were a number of young prospects, many coming from the
NBA Development League or signing with the 76ers after playing limited roles on other teams. Further moves at the trade deadline on February 20, 2014, saw the exits of veterans
Spencer Hawes,
Evan Turner, and
Lavoy Allen, all of whom were key rotational players. The 76ers had a 3–0 start that included wins over the two-time defending champion
Miami Heat and a
Chicago Bulls team with high expectations. The 76ers struggled heavily after that, at one point posting a
26-game losing streak which set a franchise record, and tied the all-time NBA record for most consecutive losses in a single-season. During the middle of the season, former
Orlando Magic head coach
Stan Van Gundy would call the Sixers' actions "embarrassing" and say "if you're putting that roster on the floor, you're doing everything you can possibly do to try to lose." The 76ers finished the season with a 19–63 record, the third-worst in franchise history. Despite that, the 76ers did not have the worst win–loss record in the overall NBA standings: the
Milwaukee Bucks finished worse with a 15–67 record. Carter-Williams led all rookies in points, rebounds, assists, and steals, joining
Magic Johnson and
Oscar Robertson as the only rookies to accomplish this feat. He also won the player of the week award in his first week, being the second rookie after
Shaquille O'Neal to accomplish that. He went on to win the Rookie of the Year award, becoming the first rookie drafted 10th or later to win the award since
Mark Jackson in 1987 for the
New York Knicks. In the second round, the Sixers selected
K. J. McDaniels,
Jerami Grant,
Jordan McRae, and
Serbian prospect
Vasilije Micić. The Sixers also traded a second-round pick to re-acquire Jackson from the Pelicans. In the 2014 off-season, the Sixers traded Thaddeus Young to Minnesota in the Kevin Love to Cleveland trade, and received the Heat's 2015 first-round draft pick,
Luc Mbah a Moute and
Alexey Shved, leaving only two players with three years of experience on the Sixers remaining. On November 29, 2014, the 76ers lost to the Dallas Mavericks 103–110 and set a franchise record for losses to start the season, as they fell to a record of 0–16. After losing their next game against the San Antonio Spurs to make it 0–17, the 76ers were on the verge of tying the NBA record of 18 straight losses to start a season if they lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 3, but they broke their losing streak and won their first game of the
2014–15 season with an 85–77 victory at Minnesota. A new
training complex was opened in
Camden, New Jersey, in September 2016. In three deals at the 2015 NBA trade deadline, the 76ers traded Carter-Williams and McDaniels for
JaVale McGee,
Isaiah Canaan, and three draft picks, including a protected 2015 first-round pick originally owned by the
Los Angeles Lakers. The Sixers finished the season with an 18–64 record, tied with the second-worst in franchise history since 1995–96. Despite that, the Sixers did not have the worst win–loss record in the overall NBA standings: the Timberwolves fared worse with a 16–66 record and Knicks fared second with 17–65 record. On May 19, the 76ers were awarded the third overall pick in the
2015 NBA draft, where they selected
Duke center
Jahlil Okafor with the third overall pick. The 76ers also signed
JP Tokoto with the 58th overall pick. On November 27, the 76ers lost to the
Houston Rockets 116–114, giving them a 27-game losing streak dating back to the previous season, which became the longest losing streak in professional sports. During the same game, the Sixers set a franchise record of 16
three pointers made during the losing effort. On December 1, the 76ers beat the Lakers at home by a score of 103–91, but not before setting a league record 28 consecutive losses dating to the 2014–15 season. In doing so, the 76ers also managed to avoid setting a new NBA record of most losses to begin a season. They instead tied the old record of 18 losses set by the then-
New Jersey Nets in the
2009–10 season. On December 8, the 76ers announced that they would hire
Jerry Colangelo, chairman of the board of directors for
USA Basketball, as the Special Advisor to the Managing General Partner and Chairman of Basketball Operations. In the first move the team made after hiring Colangelo, they traded two second-round draft picks to the Pelicans in return for point guard
Ish Smith. On March 1, 2016, the 76ers, at the time with a record of 8–51, missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season. The 76ers finished the season 10–72.
2016–present: The Joel Embiid era 2016–2017: First year , the 76ers' first overall draft selection in the
2016 NBA draft On April 6, 2016, Sam Hinkie resigned by way of a 7,000 word letter of resignation. On April 10, 2016,
Bryan Colangelo, the son of Jerry Colangelo, was named president of basketball operations. In the NBA Draft Lottery, the Philadelphia 76ers earned the first pick in the draft, after they had a 25% chance of earning the spot. On June 23, 2016, following the
2015–16 season, and after the 76ers were awarded the first overall pick in the 2016 draft, the team selected LSU Point Forward
Ben Simmons first overall. The Sixers also selected French basketball player
Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot and Turkish basketball player
Furkan Korkmaz with the 24th and 26th picks in the
2016 NBA draft respectively. Many consider the 2016 NBA Draft a turning point for the 76ers after their three seasons of not being competitive resulted in the franchise garnering the first overall pick, the first time the team owned the first since 1996 when the 76ers selected point guard
Allen Iverson first overall. The Sixers subsequently traded for another number one pick in the
2017 NBA draft, choosing
Markelle Fultz.
2017–2018: Return to playoffs The
2017–18 season was the most successful season since the 2011–12 season as the team finished the regular season in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 52–30 winning record and clinched a playoff spot. The season also saw the 76ers reaching a franchise-record 16-game winning streak. In the First Round of the
playoffs, the Sixers defeated the Heat in five games, to win their first playoff series since the
2011–12 season.
2018–2019: Jimmy Butler year with the 76ers in 2019 Following a controversy involving fake
Twitter accounts, the 76ers parted ways with general manager
Bryan Colangelo on June 7, 2018. The team promoted
Elton Brand from executive vice president of basketball operations to fill the vacant general manager role on September 18, 2018. On November 12, 2018, the 76ers traded Šarić,
Robert Covington,
Jerryd Bayless and a 2022 second-round draft pick to the
Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for
Jimmy Butler and
Justin Patton. On February 6, 2019, the 76ers acquired forward
Tobias Harris, as well as
Boban Marjanović and
Mike Scott, in a trade with the
Los Angeles Clippers, sending
Wilson Chandler,
Mike Muscala,
Landry Shamet, a protected 2020 first-round pick, Miami's unprotected 2021 first-round pick and Detroit's 2021 and 2023 second-round picks to the Clippers. The 76ers completed the season as the third seed. In the playoffs, they beat the Brooklyn Nets in five games in the first round and faced the second-seeded Toronto Raptors in the second round. The series went to seven games, which the 76ers lost 4–3, when Kawhi Leonard made a game-winning buzzer-beater in game 7 in Toronto. In the off-season, Jimmy Butler left to sign with the Miami Heat in a sign and trade that brought Josh Richardson to Philadelphia. The team also signed Al Horford. On November 25, 2019, the 76ers made history by signing a sports betting partnership with Fox Bet, the joint venture of online gambling operator
The Stars Group and broadcaster
Fox Sports. While the NBA has struck a number of partnerships with betting operators following the
2018 US Supreme Court ruling that struck down the federal betting ban, the Fox Bet deal marked the first partnership between a betting operator and an individual NBA team.
2020–2022 Before the season, the Sixers were expected to be another championship contender, as they were in the past two seasons, especially with Kawhi Leonard having left the conference. The Sixers had one of the worst away records in the NBA, but their league-best home record, with only 2 losses, kept the team afloat in the playoff race. Following the
suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season, the 76ers were one of the 22 teams invited to the
NBA Bubble to participate in the final eight games of the regular season. The Sixers started the bubble in the sixth seed, tied with the Pacers, who had the tiebreaker. The regular season finished with the 76ers in the sixth seed, a notable decrease in position from the previous two seasons. In the first round of the playoffs, the 76ers were eliminated by the Celtics in a 4–0 sweep. Head coach Brett Brown was fired on August 24, 2020. On October 3, 2020, the 76ers hired
Doc Rivers as their new head coach. On November 2, the 76ers hired
Daryl Morey to be their president of basketball operations. The 76ers went 49–23 and clinched the first seed in the Eastern Conference, capturing the division title for the first time in 20 years. In the opening round, they defeated the
Washington Wizards in five games but lost to the
Atlanta Hawks in the Conference Semifinals in seven games. Franchise player
Joel Embiid, placed second in the voting for the
NBA Most Valuable Player Award for the 2020–21 regular season behind first-placed winner
Nikola Jokić. After the Game 7 loss to the Hawks in which
Ben Simmons controversially passed on an open dunk to tie the game, Simmons demanded a trade and
held out from participating in training camp. The 76ers fined Simmons for conduct detrimental to the team, reportedly in excess of $19 million.
2022–2024 dunking the ball during a 2018 76ers game. He was named the team's fifth
NBA Most Valuable Player in 2023 On February 10, 2022, the 76ers acquired
James Harden and
Paul Millsap from the
Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Simmons,
Andre Drummond,
Seth Curry, and two first-round picks. The
2021–22 season finished with a 51–31 record, led by Embiid, Harden, and second-year shooting guard
Tyrese Maxey. Embiid won the
scoring title averaging 30.6 points per game. In a repeat of the previous season's MVP race, Embiid finished second in the 2021–22
NBA Most Valuable Player Award contest behind
Nikola Jokić. On June 24, the Sixers traded
Danny Green and the 23rd pick of the draft who would turn out to be
David Roddy for
De'Anthony Melton. In a four team trade, the 76ers acquired
Jalen McDaniels but had to give up perimeter defender
Matisse Thybulle who got traded to the
Portland Trail Blazers. The
2022–23 season was successful for the Sixers. They clinched a
Playoff Spot on March 21. They finished the season 54–28 as the third seed. After sweeping the Brooklyn Nets, the
Boston Celtics prevailed in 7 Games and gave the Sixers another second-round exit. Despite this, Joel Embiid was named league MVP. On May 16, 2023, head coach
Doc Rivers was fired and replaced by
Nick Nurse on June 1. The Sixers traded
James Harden,
P. J. Tucker and
Filip Petrušev to the
Los Angeles Clippers for
Marcus Morris,
Robert Covington, and
Nicolas Batum. The Sixers started the season 29–13 as the second seed in the East, but Joel Embiid tore his Lateral Meniscus. Embiid returned on March 5. During Joel's absence, the Sixers fell to the 8th Seed and Tyrese Maxey made his first All-Star game. They finished the season as the 7th seed with a record of 47–35, qualifying for the
Play-in game. The Sixers made it out of the Play-In, beating the
Miami Heat to advance to the playoffs but were beaten 4–2 in the first round by the New York Knicks.
2024–present: Arrival of Paul George That off-season,
Paul George signed a four-year max contract deal with the Sixers. They also resigned
Kyle Lowry and acquired
Eric Gordon. Tobias Harris also signed with the Pistons. ==Team identity==