The Philadelphia 76ers are an interesting franchise. They've had some of the greatest players in NBA history, play in a big market, and are generally seen as one of the league's staple organizations. The Sixers were established in the 1949-50 season as the Syracuse Nationals and became the 76ers in 1963-64.
Philadelphia has won three championships and always seems relevant, but their history of winning is shockingly sparse. Philly has made just one Eastern Conference Final in the past 40 seasons, when they lost in the 2001 NBA Finals to the Kobe Bryant/Shaquille O'Neal Lakers in five games. They've won just one title since 1967 despite seemingly always being in the mix.
Philly has one current player high on their all-time list, but is at a crossroads with the franchise's direction. To give Sixers fans some positivity in their lives, here are their top 10 greatest players.
10 Ben Simmons
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76ers fans probably won't love this, but Ben Simmons sneaks onto this list at number ten. While it ended very poorly for Simmons in Philadelphia, with an ugly trade saga ultimately landing the 2018 Rookie of the Year in Brooklyn, there's no doubt he was an excellent player as a Sixer.
I considered Andre Iguodala for this spot, as he spent his first eight seasons in Philly, averaged over 15 points per game, and was an All-Star in 2012. However, Simmons was simply a better player who accomplished more in his time there. Simmons won the 2018 ROY, was a three-time All-Star, a two-time First Team All-Defense selection, and an All-NBA third teamer in 2020.
Simmons had some embarrassing moments in a Sixers jersey, but he won three playoff series and made the franchise relevant again. He's one of the best two-way players in franchise history.
Simmons deserves credit for helping bring Philly out of the basement alongside Joel Embiid. The chance for the 76ers to capitalize on "The Process" era is running out, but he certainly left the franchise in a better spot than it was.
9 Maurice Cheeks
Maurice Cheeks, Philadelphia 76ers
Credit: © Manny Rubio-Imagn Images
Speaking of two-way players, "Mo" Cheeks slides in at number nine for his excellence on both ends of the floor for Philly. Cheeks spent 11 seasons in Philadelphia as a do-everything point guard.
The 1978 second-round pick surpassed expectations, earning four All-Star selections, five All-Defense teams, and was a vital part of Philly's 1983 championship team. Cheeks averaged 12.3 points and 7.3 assists, and 2.3 steals as a Sixer. He did all of this on 52.8% shooting from the field, stunningly high for a six-foot-one point guard.
8 Billy Cunningham
Billy Cunningham, Philadelphia 76ers
Billy Cunningham earns the eighth spot as one of the best scorers in 76ers history. In nine years in Philly in the 60s and 70s, Cunningham averaged 20.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists. The UNC product put up 18-plus points per game in seven of his nine seasons with the franchise.
A member of the 1967 title team, Cunningham contributed 15 points a game in 15 playoff outings that season. Cunningham was a phenomenal postseason scorer and rebounder his entire career, making a name for himself among a long list of 76ers greats.
7 Hal Greer
Hal Greer, Philadelphia 76ers
Credit: © Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images
Keeping with the theme, number seven also goes to a 1960s 76ers legend, Hal Greer. Greer, a shooting guard who stood at just six-foot-two, is one of the most underrated players of his time. Also a part of the 1967 Sixers championship squad, Greer averaged 27.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in that playoff run.
For his Sixers career that spanned thirteen years, Greer posted gaudy numbers of 19.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He was a ten-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA member. Greer was simply one of the very best players of the original era of NBA basketball, and he did it all in a Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers jersey.
6 Moses Malone
Moses Malone
The last true NBA all-time legend on this list is Moses Malone. Malone, who was Erving's co-star on the 1983 title team, is known for being one of the greatest rebounders in league history (his 12.3 RPG mark ranks 15th all-time). However, Malone was also an elite scorer and defender, making him a versatile superstar.
Malone played on seven NBA teams and also spent two seasons in the ABA, so he only stayed in Philly for five years. Nevertheless, he made his presence felt: 21.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks a game for the franchise. Malone won the 1983 MVP award, as well as Finals MVP that very same season, putting him in an exclusive club of players to earn both honors.
An All-Star and All-NBA member in all four of his prime seasons in Philadelphia, Malone is squarely on the level of everyone ahead of him. His short 76ers career places him at six, however.
5 Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid Philadelphia 76ers New York Knicks First Round
Joel Embiid is fifth on this list despite being arguably the second-best player here. Embiid is one of the more dominant scorers and rebounders ever, but his health has prevented him from becoming a true legend. As he enters his 30s and his body continues to break down, his story is quickly turning tragic.
Joel is still only 31 years old, and has time to turn it around, but seven-footers with bad knees rarely get better, not worse.
Still, Embiid is surely an all-time great player. He's fourth in career PPG at 27.7, has been top-two in MVP voting three times, and won the 2023 MVP award. When healthy, he's the most dominant face-up scorer in the sport, with a buttery mid-range jumper that's absurd for a player his size.
Embiid is also a tremendous rebounder (11.0 per game for his career), and a solid defender, although he's quickly declining on that end as his foot speed falls off. Being slow and oft-injured is a tough combination in the modern fast-paced NBA, and Embiid's value is cratering as we speak.
Hopefully he can turn around his career, but he's undoubtedly an all-time great.
4 Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley, Philadelphia 76ers
Credit: © RVR Photos-Imagn Images
At fourth is Charles Barkley, who is an underrated NBA legend because of his lack of a championship. This is a theme with many of the Sixers best all-time players, but there's no reason to discredit Barkley's legacy. Since retiring, Chuck has become extremely popular as a media presence, but his playing career was more dominant than you think.
In eight seasons as a 76er, Barkley averaged 23.3 points and 11.6 rebounds on a stunning 57.6% from the field. Despite standing just six-foot-six, Barkley is one of the best rebounders in NBA history, and did his best work during his Philly days. Charles was an incredible mix of toughness, strength, and speed, while being a highly skilled scorer for his time.
His skillset would be perfect for the modern game. Although Barkley never won a championship, he was an outstanding playoff performer for Philadelphia, which shouldn't be forgotten. He won four playoff series as a Sixer during a difficult era and simply ran into the titans of the era time and time again.
3 Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson Michael Jordan
At number three, I'll go with the most popular and well-known Sixer of all-time, both inside and outside the fanbase. Although Allen Iverson never won a championship (largely because of inferior rosters to the Spurs, Lakers, and others), Iverson left a lasting impression on the league that was bigger than basketball.
First, the numbers: Iverson averaged 27.6 points as a Sixer(would rank fifth all-time) to go with 6.2 assists a night. AI was never efficient (42.1% from the field), but that wasn't uncommon for a small scoring guard in the 90s and 2000s, especially one who barely cracked six feet on an undermanned roster.
Iverson's 2001 MVP season, when he took Philly to the NBA Finals on a legendary run, is one of the more inspiring seasons in league history. His 48-point Game 1 NBA Finals performance to take down Shaq and Kobe, ending with the step-over of Tyronn Lue, is perhaps the most iconic cultural basketball moment ever.
The Answer spent his career giving hope to young kids everywhere that they could play basketball despite being undersized. His cultural influence on basketball is limitless, and still reverberates today.
2 Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia Lakers
I had a tough time placing Wilt Chamberlain on this list because although he's the best player to ever suit up for the 76ers, he only spent four seasons with the team and is less popular with the fans than several guys around him. With that said, he gets the nod at second because his incredible dominance can't be ignored, regardless of how long ago it was.
Wilt still holds all-time records for minutes (45.8), field goals (12.1), rebounds (22.9), and free-throw attempts (11.4) per game. He also holds the single-game scoring record (100), as well as most points per game for a season (44.8). Most of these records will never be broken again, and some of his best seasons were as a 76er.
Chamberlain delivered a championship in the midst of Bill Russell's Celtics run, and ultimately deserves second place on this ranking.
1 Julius Erving
Julius Erving
The Sixers are a very tough franchise to rank their best all-time players, because I could argue for six different guys topping the list, depending on what criteria are used (Hence why they're such a weird and slightly disappointing franchise). In the end, I chose Julius Erving because he's the perfect blend of dominance, entertainment, and winning.
Erving is the second-best player to suit up for Philadelphia, only to Wilt Chamberlain, who is the most dominant player of all-time but only spent four seasons with the team and won one title. Erving also brought home an NBA championship in 1983 in a much tougher era of basketball, and was an All-Star for all eleven seasons in Philly after coming over from the ABA.
Julius averaged 22.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on 50.7% from the field in his Sixers tenure, but was an MVP-caliber player in his prime. Erving finished top-six in MVP voting from 1980 to 1984 and won the award in 1981. He was a top-five guy for most of his time in Philadelphia, and is also remembered fondly for something else.
"Dr. J" is also one of the most memorable and entertaining players in league history, rivaling some of the athletic feats that are seen today. His underhand reverse layup remains an iconic shot, and Erving's athletic gifts and silky-smooth playstyle made basketball cool again after the NBA's marketing struggles of the 1970s.
Not only is Erving the best Sixer of all-time, he's one of the most important NBA players ever.