A Basic History of the Philadelphia 76ers Basketball Team

The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team that plays in the National Basketball Association. The 76ers play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the NBA. The team plays their home games in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Philadelphia 76ers are currently owned by Comcast-Spectator and are coached by Maurice Cheeks. The official colors of the 76ers are black, gold, red, white, and blue.

The franchise was founded in 1939 as the Syracuse Nationals. The Nationals joined the NBA in 1949. In 1963, the Syracuse Nationals moved to Philadelphia, becoming the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 76ers played their homes game in the Philadelphia Convention Hall and Philadelphia Arena from 1963-1967. From 1967-1996, the 76ers played at The Spectrum. In 1996, the team began playing in their current arena, the Wachovia Center.

The Philadelphia 76ers have won a total of eight division titles in 1966-1968, 1977-1978, 1983, 1990, and 2001. They have won five conference titles in 1977, 1980, 1982-1983, and 2001. The 76ers have won the NBA Championship twice in 1967 and 1983.

Nine former players for the Philadelphia 76ers are enshrined in the National Basketball Hall of Fame. Those players are Charles Barkley, Al Cervi, Wilt Chamberlain, Billy Cunningham, Julius Erving, Hal Greer, Bailey Howell, Moses Malone, and Dolph Schayes. Former coaches Chuck Daly, Alex Hannum, Jack Ramsay, and Larry Brown are in the Hall of Fame. Daniel Biasone, the founding owner of the franchise, is also in the Hall of Fame, along with Hip-Hop the Rabbit, a former mascot for the Philadelphia 76ers. Former player, Allen Iverson, is likely to enter the Hall of Fame as well once he retires and becomes eligible.

A total of eight numbers have been retired by the Philadelphia 76ers. The players whose jersey numbers have been retired are Moses Malone - 2, Julius Erving - 6, Maurice Cheeks - 10, Wilt Chamberlain - 13, Hal Greer - 15, Bobby Jones - 24, Billy Cunningham - 32, and Charles Barkley - 34. A microphone banner hangs with the retired numbers in honor of former public address announcer Dave Zinkoff, who held the position from 1963-1985.

Some other former fan favorites in Philadelphia include Dikembe Mutumbo, Darryl Dawkins, World B. Free, Johnny Dawkins, and Jerry Stackhouse.

The current Philadelphia 76ers team is in a rebuilding stage with a group of young, talented players. The team is led by their captain, small forward Andre Iguodala. The future success of the team will rest on their young players including Kyle Korver, Rodney Carney, and Samuel Dalembert.