History of the Philadelphia 76ers
60s - Disrupting the Dynasty
The 76ers posed one of the biggest threats to the Celtics dynasty in the 1960s. They surrounded Wilt Chamberlain with two other members of the NBA’s top 75 list in Billy Cunningham and Hal Greer. In 1967 they won the championship disrupting the Celtic’s 8 year streak of banner raising.
70s - The First Rebuild
After Wilt left for the Warriors and other stars began to age, the franchise started its first rebuild. In the ‘73 season they only won 9 games which stands as the second worst of all time. However as the ABA and NBA began to merge, the 76ers obtained two ABA legends in George McGinnis and Julius Erving. From here success started to return.
80s - The Defensive Superteam
Much of the 80s was dominated by the Celtics-Lakers rivalry, but many forget about how dominant the 76ers were in the beginning of the decade. They had put together a defensive juggernaut that made the finals 3 of the first 4 years of the 80s. After getting Moses Malone fresh of back to back MVPs in Houston, they ended up sweeping the Lakers in the 1983 finals.
90s - A Playoff Drought
The 90s had not much to show for. Young star Charles Barkley was able to lead a playoff charge before leaving for Phoenix. They found their next franchise piece 4 years later when drafting Allen Iverson first overall in the draft. From here they began to make the playoffs again after a 7 year drought.
00s - The Finals Run
2001 was Allen Iverson’s infamous MVP season and finals run. They faced the prime Kobe-Shaq Lakers and lost in 5 games after stealing game one. Eventually Mutombo left and Iverson never had a season with as much success. The franchise fell back into mediocrity in search of its next superstar.
10s - A Second Rebuild
After a couple more seasons of being a playoff team with no championship hopes, the 76ers decided to rebuild. Starting in 2014 they had a top 3 pick in the draft for 4 straight years. They whiffed on Jahlil Okafor and Markelle Fultz but landed their next stars in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. In time they got back to being championship contenders
