Top 30 Memorable Philadelphia 76ers Moments Of All Time
By Josh Wilson
The arrival of Wilt Chamberlain
The mid-1960s served as a lively time in Philadelphia sports, especially for professional basketball. For starters, the city acquired a team, the newly relocated Syracuse Nationals. Additionally, midway through the 1965 season, the 76ers acquired one of the great athletes in world history: local product Wilt Chamberlain. In the following 1964–65 NBA season, the Warriors got off to a terrible start and ran into financial trouble. At the 1965 All-Star break Chamberlain was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, the new name of the relocated Syracuse Nationals. Chamberlain left a financially struggling Warrior team for a few role players and some cash.
Getting Wilton, or “Wilt the Stilt,” Chamberlain to return to Philly marked a major event. In 1965 a wide-eyed rookie named Billy Cunningham learned a lot from the arrival of Wilt. After seeing the contrast in coaching styles ranging from the player’s coach Dolph Schayes to the more demanding Alex Hannum, the 1967 world championship undoubtedly the shaping of Billy Cunningham as a head coach. The arrival made Bill Russell both concerned and interested. Hal Greer was a star, but now he shared the spotlight. In all, the Sixers acquisition of Chamberlain was a blockbuster move.
Chamberlain teamed up with Hall of Famer Hal Greer and instantly amassed incredible numbers. He averaged over 34 points per game and close to 23 rebounds for the latter part of the 1965 season as a Sixer. He helped lead the Sixers to the finals and collected a 32 rebound night versus Bill Russell. The game ended however with the infamous John Havlicek steal. Wilt criticized his teammates with failing to get over the Celtics proverbial hump.
Wilt Chamberlain won his second MVP award in 1966 again as a Sixer, leading the league in points and rebounding. Wilt wore on his teammates, however, in his second season as he dictated the practice schedule and insisted that the team revolve around him.
How good do you have to be to skip practice? Maybe 46 points and 34 rebounds good, as Wilt did skip after this Game 5 of the 1966 finals performance, but to some, his behavior had deleterious results on the team.
For the historic 1967 run the 76ers were coached by Alex Hannum, who managed to earn Wilt’s respect. The two simply wanted the same thing: a title. Hannum proved a great motivator and got Wilt to approach the domination of a basketball game defensively. Wilt followed through and submitted to the coaching, while collecting a third straight MVP and interacting positively with teammates on and off the court.
Next: Winning the first championship as the Sixers