Philadelphia 76ers' greatest starting-5 of all time

Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia

The Philadelphia 76ers have been home to a total of 17 Hall-of-Fame players. Although the 76ers have won only three NBA championships, several fine players have put on the colors of Philadelphia over the years.

Philadelphia 76ers' greatest starting-5 of all time

The Philadelphia 76ers, founded in 1946 and earlier known as the Syracuse Nationals, are one of the most storied franchises in the history of the NBA.

The 76ers have retired ten jerseys and hung them up in their rafters out of respect to some of the superstars that have turned up for their franchise. So, without further ado, let's take a took at the all-time greatest starting-5 of the 76ers.


Point Guard: Maurice Cheeks

Stats with the 76ers: 12.2 PPG | 7.3 APG | 3.0 RPG | 0.3 BPG | 2.3 SPG.

Maurice Cheeks
Maurice Cheeks

Hall-of-Fame point guard Maurice Cheeks played ten seasons for the Philadelphia 76ers and earned four All-Star selections and five straight All-Defensive team selections.

He was the point guard of the team that won the Philadelphia 76ers' second-ever NBA title in 1983. Cheeks also led the team to three NBA finals appearances in a four-year span.

He was known for his team-play and playmaking and was often regarded as the 'quintessential point guard'; Cheeks epitomized team effort like very few else. He also served as the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers from 2005 to 2008.

Cheeks' number ten jersey was retired by the franchise in 1995.


Shooting Guard: Allen Iverson

Stats with the 76ers: 27.6 PPG | 6.1 APG | 3.9 RPG | 0.2 BPG | 2.3 SPG.

Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson will go down in history as one of the greatest players of his generation. He has inspired many guards who are playing in the league today.

His movement and skill is something many young players want to emulate. Also known as 'AI', he took the Philadelphia 76ers to their first NBA finals since 1983 and won the regular-season MVP award that year as well.

Renowned for his jump shot and killer crossover, Iverson gave his 100% on the floor and did everything he could to get his team a victory. He ranks first in the list of all-time three-pointers made for the Philadelphia 76ers, second in points and steals, and third in assists.

Iverson's number 3 jersey was retired by the franchise in 2014.

Small Forward: Julius Erving

Stats with the 76ers: 22.0 PPG | 3.9 APG | 6.7 RPG | 1.5 BPG | 1.8 SPG.

Julius Erving
Julius Erving

The Doctor, Julius Erving, was widely regarded as one of the most influential players of his generation.

He is the only player to have won the MVP award in both the ABA and the NBA and has won a total of four in both competitions. Erving led the Philadelphia 76ers to their second NBA championship in 1983.

A three-time champion and 16-time All-Star, 'Dr J has had several All NBA and All-ABA team selections.

Erving was renowned for dunking from the free-throw line and has won the Slam dunk contest as well. The basketball slang of being 'posterized' was first coined to describe his moves.

The legend has a statue of himself in South Philadelphia to commemorate his achievements with the Philadelphia 76ers franchise. His number six jersey was retired by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1988.


Power Forward: Charles Barkley

Stats with the 76ers: 23.3 PPG | 3.9 APG | 11.7 RPG | 0.8 BPG | 1.5 SPG.

Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley

One of the Philadelphia 76ers' greatest-ever players, who was nicknamed 'Sir Charles' and 'the Round Mound of Rebound', Charles Barkley established himself as one of the NBA's most dominant power forwards despite being considered 'undersized' for his position.

Barkley might have only been 6' 6", but none of the power forwards that he faced described him as too small. He was often the strongest man on the court and led the league in rebounds in 1987.

Charles Barkley was an 11-time All-Star and had as many All-NBA team selections. He also won three gold medals while representing the United States, two of them were in the Olympics and one was in the FIBA.

Barkley, a member of the famous 'Dream Team' in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, is now an anchor and NBA analyst on the popular show 'Inside the NBA' on TNT. His number 34 jersey was retired by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2001.


Center: Wilt Chamberlain

Stats with the 76ers: 27.6 PPG | 6.8 APG | 23.9 RPG.

Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain

The all-time center for the Philadelphia 76ers was never in doubt. Wilt Chamberlain is one of the greatest NBA players to have ever lived.

Chamberlain is the only player to have averaged 50 points per game, with no other player even coming close to accomplishing his feat. He also averaged 27 rebounds in his rookie year and led the league in rebounding on 11 occasions.

Apart from leading the league in rebounds for 11 years, he was also a 7-time scoring champion and a four-time NBA MVP award winner.

Chamberlain's stats and records sound unrealistic to break today. He is the only player to record 100 points in an NBA game. 'The Big Dipper' averaged a surreal 45 minutes per game while scoring 60% from the floor.

His number 13 jersey was retired by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1991.

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