Philadelphia 76ers

History

1946–1963: Syracuse Nationals

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 division 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 division finals, the Nationals were beaten by the New York Knickerbockers in a hard-fought five-game series, losing the finale by just two points.

Move to Philadelphia

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. "Sixers" was also used for short, particularly in headlines. 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

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.

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 1967 NBA Finals were almost anticlimactic; the 76ers 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.

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

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.

1976–1987: Julius Erving era

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 6, 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 5) and scored 42 points. In the 1981 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 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 7 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 NBA Finals in six games against the Los Angeles Lakers.

1987–1992: Charles Barkley era

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

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 four slots below Wright in 1994 by the Los Angeles 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 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.

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 playoffs.

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.

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 off-season, 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.

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.

2016–present: The Joel Embiid era

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 76ers 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 76ers subsequently traded for another number one pick in the 2017 NBA draft, choosing Markelle Fultz.

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 2018 playoffs, the team defeated the Heat in five games to win its first playoff series since the 2011–12 season.

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.

Team identity

1963–1978

The Philadelphia 76ers' original logo featured a stylized red "7" and blue "6" with 13 blue stars above the "7" to represent the original 13 American colonies. During this period the franchise employed many uniform changes.

The original uniform featured "PHILA" in front and the aforementioned 13 stars encircling the "76" on the shorts and the uniform number at the back. Monochrome red letters were emblazoned on either the blue road or white home uniform, and were written in a similar manner as the logo.

During the 1965–66 season, the 76ers experimented with a two-tone design. The home white uniform now had a thick red band across the abdomen, while the road uniform featured red tops and blue shorts. "PHILA" was positioned below the uniform number. Players disliked the design and was replaced after only one season.

The 76ers unveiled a cleaner design for the 1966–67 season, with "PHILA" in red block letters and trimmed in either white or blue. "PHILA" was also moved back above the number. The logo and stars were removed in favor of simple side stripes. Initially, the 76ers wore blue uniforms on the road, but in 1968, they changed back to red uniforms with "PHILA" in white with blue trim.

For the 1970–71 season, the 76ers tinkered with their red uniforms, switching the color scheme on the letters to blue with white trim. Meanwhile, the white uniform received a more radical makeover, featuring the full name "Seventy Sixers" in red cursive lettering with blue trim. This set lasted for only one season.

The 1971–72 season saw the 76ers return to wearing blue uniforms on the road. After sporting "PHILA" on the chest for eight seasons, the uniform now read "Sixers" in Art Deco style lettering, rendered in white on the road and red at home. Numbers were either white or blue with red trim. Contrasting side stripes were added and extended through the uniform, and either red or white stars were placed on each side. Prior to the 1976–77 season, the 76ers tweaked the uniform, now sporting a block "Sixers" wordmark and rounded numbers. The following season, the "Sixers" wordmark was changed to Bookman Old Style; on both iterations, "Sixers" became blue with red trim on the white uniform, with an additional outline on the latter.

1978–1997

In 1977, the 76ers' logo was tweaked to include a white basketball with blue outlines and the suffix "-ers" in blue, completing the team nickname. The following season saw the team go back to basics with their uniforms.

Starting with the 1978–79 season, the 76ers wore a cleaner uniform design reminiscent of their late 1960s outfits. Side stripes were eliminated and the team logo was emblazoned on the right leg. The road uniform color was changed back to red (with the lettering scheme similar to the 1968–70 red uniforms), and the numbers revert to a block letter style.

Before the 1991–92 season, the 76ers experimented with a more radical uniform design. The front featured a blue wave with red, white and blue stars, and "Sixers" in Helvetica was affixed above the blue wave. The full city name "Philadelphia" was also added above the team name. The numbers contained drop shadows.

After wearing the graphic-laden design for three seasons, the 76ers changed to a more basic look entering the 1994–95 season. The design contained thick blue stripes within either thin red or white stripes, and the letters were changed to a more classic rounded style. Numbers were now rendered in blue on both uniforms with either white or red trim, and the white uniform again featured "Sixers" in red letters with white and blue trim.

1997–2009

In the 1997–98 season, the 76ers drastically changed their logo and colors in an effort to appeal to the more youthful hip-hop-oriented culture. Red, white and blue were retained, but only as trim colors. Instead, the 76ers used black, silver and gold as its core colors, with the logo now featuring 76ers in gold, a single silver star within the 7, and a streaking basketball below the logo.

The black road uniforms remained largely unchanged throughout this span, with the letters in white with red trim. The white home uniform, on the other hand, featured some subtle changes. While the letters were in black with red trim, the "Sixers" logo was initially gold, but in 2000, the color was changed as black. Also in 2000, the black background and red outline within the "Sixers" logo were removed. A blue alternate uniform was introduced in the same year, with the letters in white with red trim; the arm piping was removed after only one season. All three designs contained a gold star on the neckline, added the alternate "streaking 76" logo on the shorts, and featured the "Sixers" logo written in the same manner as the logo, with the silver star affixed atop the "I".

In 2006, the 76ers replaced the blue alternates with a red one, bringing back the "PHILA" logo for the first time since 1971. As with the other uniforms, the "PHILA" wordmark was shaped similarly to the team logo, with the silver star atop the "I". White numbers with black trim were placed on this uniform, along with a silver star on the neckline and blue and white striping. The next season saw some minor tweaks to the black and white uniforms, which now featured the same striping patterns as the red alternate along with the silver star.

2009–2015

During the 2008–09 season, while the previous logo was still in use, the 1977–1997 logo was revived to coincide with the team's 60th anniversary (counting the Syracuse years). After that, the team decided to bring back a modern version of said logo, with the addition of a red square and 'Philadelphia' inside a blue rectangle below it, although the partial logo without the square, city name and rectangles was also used.

The white uniform featured "Sixers" in blue and numbers in red, both returning to a block letter style. The red uniform contained both the "Sixers" and the uniform number in white. In 2011, a blue alternate uniform was introduced, mirroring that of the red uniform. After 2013, the blue uniform became the primary road set. All three designs employed a more subtle striping along the arms and legs.

2015–present

A new version of the classic 76ers logo was unveiled for the 2015–16 season, featuring a slight tilt to the white basketball and a roundel featuring the city name and six stars. A secondary "Dribbling Ben Franklin" logo was also introduced.

The home white, away blue and red alternate uniforms featured a mix of classic styles used in previous uniforms. The home white and away blue uniforms featured the 'PHILA' wordmark as homage to the late 1960s uniforms, while the red alternates featured the 'SIXERS' wordmark in tribute to the 1980s uniforms. Side stripes featuring seven stars on one side and six on the other pay homage to the 1970s uniforms, while the shoulder piping was a callback to the 1980s uniforms. The inscription 'PHILA TOUGH' is sewed on the bottom of all uniforms.

The switch to Nike in 2017 saw the 76ers make some slight tweaks to their uniform set. The blue "Icon" uniform and the white "Association" uniform now feature a red drop shadow on the lettering, and the inscription 'Brotherly Love' replaced 'PHILA TOUGH' near the manufacturer's tag. The 76ers also released their new red "Statement" uniform, featuring a script "Sixers" wordmark, off-centered numbers and blue drop shadows. Prior to the 2019–20 season the red uniforms were tweaked to feature a script "Phila" wordmark.

City and Earned uniforms

The team's first annual "City" uniform features an ornate "Phila" lettering, blue numbers with red drop shadows, and other elements inspired from the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776. Their second "City" uniform, inspired by the 1976 film Rocky, shows thirteen stars to represent the Thirteen Colonies. It was based on Rocky because it was from "'76".

By virtue of qualifying for the 2018 playoffs, the 76ers were also given an "Earned" uniform in the 2018–19 season. The team's "Earned" uniforms were similar to the Rocky "City" uniforms, except that the base was white and the lettering and stars were in blue.

The team's "City" uniform for the 2019–20 season paid homage to the Liberty Bell, featuring an ornate "Philadelphia" wordmark and red serifed numbers. The gold bell silhouette is prominently featured on the beltline. This design returned for the 2025–26 season, but recolored in navy blue.

The 2020–21 "City" uniform paid homage to the Allen Iverson era and the Boathouse Row landmark, featuring a black base with red, blue and white accents. The Boathouse Row illustration is drawn in white above "Philadelphia" in white with blue drop shadows. The numbers, also in white with blue drop shadows, are placed on the left chest.

The team's "Earned" uniform for 2021 (after qualifying in the 2020 playoffs) featured a blue silhouette of the Liberty Bell on a white background, with white numbers placed in the middle.

In commemoration of the NBA's 75th anniversary, the 2021–22 "City" uniforms featured elements of previous uniform designs (a.k.a. "Mixtape"). The team's edition featured a navy blue base and red lettering taken from the 1972–77 uniforms. Red, orange, green and blue blocks on each side paid tribute to the team's former home, the Spectrum, and also represented fan support for each of Philadelphia's "Big Four" teams (red representing the Philadelphia Phillies, orange representing the Flyers, green representing the Eagles, and blue representing the 76ers). The Spectrum center court logo, featuring the arena silhouette at the center, adorned the shorts, and the "S" from that logo was placed on the waist.

Mascots

Previously in the 1980s, the Philadelphia 76ers mascot was Big Shot. He was then replaced with Hip Hop, a rabbit that usually, during time-outs or halftime, would do slam dunks. After the 2011 lockout, Hip Hop would not return.

Franklin the Dog

On February 10, 2015, Franklin the Dog was introduced as the new Philadelphia 76ers mascot to 400 fans and media at The Franklin Institute. After spending the weekend in New York City for the 2015 NBA All-Star Game as the newest NBA mascot, he then was introduced at the Wells Fargo Center in his first game on February 19, 2015.

Rivalries

Boston Celtics

The rivalry between the 76ers and Boston Celtics is the earliest dated rivalry in the NBA. The two teams have the most meetings in the NBA playoffs, playing each other in nineteen series, of which the Celtics have won twelve. It is considered to be the second-greatest rivalry in the NBA, next to the Celtics–Lakers rivalry. The rivalry first peaked when Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell of the Celtics played each other from 1965 to 1968. The 1966–67 76ers, voted the best team in league history during the NBA's 35th anniversary, set a then-record by winning 68 games in the 81-game season (a record since broken by the Lakers, Bulls and Warriors) and ending Boston's eight-year title reign which led to the infamous "Boston's Dead!" chants.

The 76ers went through a rebuilding period through the early 1970s, and came back to relevance during the 1976–77 season, in which they defeated the Celtics en route to a NBA Finals appearance. Both teams would peak in the 1980s, with every single Eastern Conference championship between 1980 and 1987 belonging to either the 76ers or Celtics. The Larry Bird-led Celtics won five of them, while the Julius Erving-led 76ers won the other three. The Charles Barkley-led teams of the later 1980s took the fight to the Celtics; neither team experienced much playoff success in the late 1980s, and both took steep nosedives in the Eastern Conference rankings throughout the 1990s.

The rivalry was reborn in the 2000s. The first time, the Allen Iverson-led defending-Eastern Conference champions 76ers were defeated in the first round of the 2002 playoffs by the Paul Pierce-led Celtics 3–2. The second time, exactly ten years later, the Big Three Celtics (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen) defeated the valiant eight seed 76ers team 4–3. In the ten years in between, the 76ers would experience limited success whereas the Celtics won a championship and contended for most of that span. In a memorable 2006 regular season meeting between the two, the 76ers defeated the Celtics 125–124 in triple overtime, with Iverson leading the way with 33 points and 10 assists.

Toronto Raptors

The 76ers-Raptors rivalry has seen intense playoff battles, including Kawhi Leonard's 2019 game 7 buzzer-beater and Philadelphia's 2022 revenge series win. The Raptors lead the regular-season series, while the 76ers hold a slight edge in postseason meetings.

Season-by-season record

List of the last five seasons completed by the 76ers. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Philadelphia 76ers seasons.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, W–L% = Winning percentage

Facilities

Home arenas

State Fair Coliseum (1946–1951)

Onondaga County War Memorial (1951–1963)

Convention Hall and Philadelphia Arena (1963–1967)

The Spectrum (1967–1996)

Xfinity Mobile Arena (1996–present)

Training facility

The 76ers' training facility and headquarters for basketball operations are located at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex in Camden, New Jersey. In 2014, the 76ers announced their plans to construct a new training complex, which was officially opened on September 23, 2016.

The team previously practiced at the campus of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

New arena

In July 2022, the 76ers announced plans to construct a $1.3 billion, privately-funded arena in Center City, Philadelphia called 76 Place. However, in January 2025, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (owners of the 76ers) and Comcast Spectacor (owners of the Philadelphia Flyers) agreed to a deal to construct a new arena inside the South Philadelphia Sports Complex that the two teams will share. The new arena is planned to open in 2031.

Personnel

Retained draft rights

The 76ers hold the draft rights to the following unsigned draft picks who have been playing outside the NBA. A drafted player, either an international draftee or a college draftee who is not signed by the team that drafted him, is allowed to sign with any non-NBA teams. In this case, the team retains the player's draft rights in the NBA until one year after the player's contract with the non-NBA team ends. This list includes draft rights that were acquired from trades with other teams.

Franchise leaders and records

Retired numbers

All of the 76ers' retired numbers are hanging on the rafters in Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Notes:

1 Also served as player-coach (1963–1966).

2 Nerlens Noel wore the number at the time of the announcement (2013–2017)

3 Also retired league-wide in honor of Bill Russell on August 11, 2022.

4 Also served as head coach (2005–2008).

5 Also Philadelphia native, and Philadelphia Warriors, 1959–1962.

6 1958–1963 in Syracuse

7 Also served as head coach (1977–1985).

8 Also Philadelphia Warriors, (1946–1962).

Basketball Hall of Famers

Notes:

1 He also coached the team in 1963–1966.

2 He also coached the team in 1948–1958.

3 He also coached the team in 1977–1985.

4 In total, Barkley was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice – as player and as a member of the 1992 Olympic team.

5 Also served as assistant coach (1994–2001) and head coach (2005–2008).

6 He also played for the team in 1949–1951.

7 Inducted posthumously.

8 Lloyd was inducted as a contributor as the first African American player and bench coach in the NBA.

9 Costello was inducted as a contributor.

10 Collins also played for the team in 1973–1981.

11 In total, Howard was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice – as player and as a member of the 2008 Olympic team.

12 In total, D'Antoni was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice – as contributor and as a member of the 2008 Olympic team.

FIBA Hall of Famers

Notes:

1 In total, Daly was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame twice – as coach and as a member of the 1992 Olympic team.

Esports ventures

In September 2016, the 76ers acquired both Team Dignitas and Apex Gaming and merged them under the Dignitas brand, becoming the first North American professional sports team to own an esports team.