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The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the oldest franchises in the game, founded in 1946 as the Syracuse Nationals. They became the Philadelphia 76ers in 1963 and have one of the most historic franchises in the NBA, with many of the greatest players to ever grace the game having played for them.
Still, they are a franchise that had a lot of potentials but underperformed greatly, winning just 3 championships, their last one coming in 1983. They have 9 conference titles and have had many Hall of Famers play for them, like Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, Julius Irving, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley among others.
They have reached the NBA finals only once since 1983 and will be looking to improve in this decade and move out of their mediocrity. With a great core now established in Philadelphia, let us now look at the best 5 players that have been Sixers since the 2000s.
#5. Chris Webber (2005-2007)
Chris Webber is a great player that is talked about with a lot of respect around the league, but his best was already past him when he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers from the Sacramento Kings, as they stepped into a rebuild.
He was not an instant fit with the Sixers, but eventually settled in and became the second scoring option behind Allen Iverson. He was a part of the Sixers' roster that led them to the playoffs in the 2005-06 season, where they lost to the Detroit Pistons.
Webber had the most experience leading to that run which was crucial for them as he averaged 19 points and under 6 rebounds in 5 games. He was finally traded as another microfracture hampered his already underwhelming defence, leading to him being benched in the 4th quarter and finally being traded to the Detroit Pistons.
He averaged 17.9 points, along with 9.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 42% from the field. While he could not achieve what he would have hoped with the franchise, he gave them a moderate amount of success and hopes from the future.
#4. Theo Ratliff (1997-2001, 2008-09)
Theo Ratliff may have been traded to the 76ers in the 1997 season, which involved Jerry Stackhouse going to the Detroit Pistons, but he had his best season with the 76ers in the 2000-01 NBA season where he played the best regular season basketball he had in years.
He was an All-Star that season as the center but could not play due to an injury. He also led the league in blocks 3 times and was also a part of the NBA All-defensive second team. His statistics with the Philadelphia 76ers were great, as he averaged 10 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game, along with a shooting percentage of just under 50.
He was never a star but was an amazing role player who could block shots with relative ease. Ratliff was moved in a deal involving Dikembe Mutombo before he could lead the Sixers to the NBA finals that season but his contributions in a tough time for the Sixers should not be forgotten.
#3. Dikembe Mutombo (2001-2002)
Dikembe Mutombo, a Hall of Famer now, was the second best player on the 2000-01 roster that made the NBA finals and was crucial to run they made. He was traded in a big deal involving Theo Ratliff, Toni Kukoc and Nazr Mohammed, but he proved himself to be worth it.
He was a 2-time All-Star during his time with Philadelphia 76ers, along with a Second-team All NBA nominee, a third team all NBA nominee, a first team all NBA defence and a second-team all NBA defence.
He was also the defensive player of the year in 2001, during his time with the 76ers. He played all 23 playoff games during his time in Philadelphia, averaging 42 minutes per game, along with 13.9 points, 13.7 rebounds, 49% shooting and a huge 3.1 blocks per game.
He was matched up with Shaq in the finals and performed admirably, averaging 16.8 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 5 games. The best years of his career were with the 76ers and the fans will look back upon his time with them very fondly.
#2. Andre Iguodala (2004-2012)
Andre Iguodala was one of the under the radar players coming into the 2004 NBA draft and was chosen 9th by the Philadelphia 76ers. He was not a good 3 point shooter, prompting some people to criticize the Sixers.
Iggy proved them wrong, enjoying a productive rookie year and played all 82 games and 5 playoff games too. He was a super athletic guard, who could dunk on almost anybody and had many such highlight reel games.
He progressed each season and had his best season with the Sixers in 2007-08 when he averaged 19.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.1 steals, shooting 45.6% from the field. He was probably the best player for the 76ers during his time there and averaged 15.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game for his 76ers career.
Even when he was given away to the Detroit Pistons in 2012, he will still be remembered as the best Sixer after Allen Iverson to try and get them back into the spotlight.
#1. Allen Iverson (1996-2006, 2009-10)
Allen Iverson was drafted #1 in the 1996 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He was one of the purest scorers this league has ever seen and revolutionized the game for smaller guards, who were never picked up this early in the draft.
Iverson was the MVP in the 2001 season and has 11All-Star Star appearances, 8 of them with the Sixers. He was a 2-time All-Star MVP, a 3 time All NBA first team selection, a 3 time all NBA second team selection and a 4 time NBA scoring title winner.
He was also the Rookie of the year 1997. His stats with the Sixers are crazy, averaging 27.6 points per game, along with 6.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals. He is probably one of the best players in NBA history to never win the NBA title and was responsible for single-handedly leading the Sixers to the NBA finals in 2000-01.
The Point Guard is a Hall of Famer and probably the most impactful player for the Sixers in the new millennium. His jersey has already been retired and his name is always chanted fondly by each and every Sixers fan.
Guess the Lakers players!
