The Philadelphia 76ers have had multiple Hall of Fame coaches. From Al Cervi to Larry Brown, which coach ranks best of all time for the Sixers?
10. Maurice Cheeks
For 11 NBA seasons, Maurice Cheeks played point guard for the Philadelphia 76ers. Mo Cheeks played a huge role in the 1983 Championship run for the Sixers and was also a four-time NBA all-star during that 11 year span. It is no wonder that some would consider him as one of the greatest point guards in Philadelphia 76ers history.
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After he retired in 1993, he returned to the city of Philadelphia as an Assistant Coach in 1994. After spending six seasons as an Assistant, Cheeks became the Head Coach for the the Portland Trailblazers from 2001-2005. While in Portland, he coached the Trailblazers to 162 wins and 139 losses before returning to Philadelphia to become the Head Coach of the Sixers for the 2005 NBA season.
While Cheeks playing days for the Sixers received much praise from the fans, his coaching days were not nearly as successful. In the three full seasons that Cheeks coached the Sixers, he did manage to lead them to the playoffs in 2008 before being eliminated in the first round by the Detroit Pistons. Cheeks was let go during the 2008-09 seasons after a rough losing streak to start the year.
The people of Philadelphia loved seeing Cheeks manage the game while on the court as a player, but his coaching days left a little more to be desired for Philly fans.
9. Jim Lynam
Jim Lynam also started as an Assistant Coach for the Philadelphia 76ers before taking over as the Head Coach during the 1987-88 NBA season.
After finishing that season, he coached the Sixers for another four years where they reached the NBA playoffs in three of those seasons. That being said, they never managed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals as they were eliminated by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in back to back seasons.
Lynam’s overall record as a Sixers head coach was 194-173 during four and a half seasons. He went on to coach multiple other teams before returning to the Sixers as an Assistant Coach from 2005-2010. His dedication to the Sixers and the city of Philadelphia are much appreciated by the 76ers faithful.
Next: No. 8/7
8. Brett Brown
Whether you’re a Philadelphia 76ers fan or not, you have to respect Brett Brown. Brown studied under Gregg Popovich for nine seasons in San Antonio. He served as the Assistant Coach from 2004 through the 2012 NBA season.
While it is tough to rank Brown based on his win/loss record, what he has been able to excel at is developing players. Through three seasons with the Sixers, Brown has just 47 wins and 199 losses. Brown cannot take all the blame though as this was ex-general manager, Sam Hinkie’s decision to #TrustTheProcess.
It will be very interesting to see what Brown can do this season. This season and next will be crucial in deciding whether or not Brown will be the Sixers coach of the future. This will be the first season without Sam Hinkie and with some real talent on the roster.
It is imperative that Brown leads the Sixers to taking a big step forward this season in order to keep his job. Also, the next season or two may very well cement Brown’s legacy as one of the better (or worse) coaches the Sixers have had.
7. Doug Collins
Doug Collins was a former number one draft pick selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1973. He played his entire career in Philadelphia and was a four time NBA All-star in just eight seasons. His playing career was unfortunately cut short due to a tragic knee injury.
Collins coached multiple other NBA teams before becoming the Sixers Head Coach in 2010. He spent three seasons with the Sixers where he finished with an overall record of 110-120.
The Sixers made the playoffs two seasons under Doug Collins and came very close to reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001. They were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in dramatic fashion during game seven where Rajon Rondo dropped a triple-double.
What is very impressive is that Collins was able to lead the Sixers that far into the playoffs with the likes of Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young.
Next: No. 6/5
6. Dolph Schayes
Adolph Schayes was a 12 time NBA All-star that served as the player-coach for the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1963-64 NBA season.
Under Schayes leadership, the Sixers were in the playoffs in each of those three seasons. Their most notable performance came in the 1964-65 NBA playoffs where they lost a game seven series to the Boston Celtics who would go on to win the NBA Championship and some consider to be one of the top 10 greatest teams of all time.
Schayes overall record with the Sixers was 129-111. His most recognizable accomplishments were being named the NBA Head Coach of the Year after the 1965-1966 NBA Season and being named to the NBA Hall of Fame in 1972.
5. Al Cervi
Al Cervi was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame for his career as a player for the Rochester Royals and Syracuse Nationals. He won numerous awards in the NBL and NBA which led to him being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.
Cervi served as the player-coach for the Syracuse Nationals from 1949-1953. He then became the Head Coach from 1953-1956. In his eight seasons with the Nationals, they made the playoffs every season. Their most notable accomplishment was winning the 1955 NBA Championship.
His career record as a player-coach was 210-120 with an overall coaching record of 366-264. Cervi was without a doubt, one of the best players and coaches the Philadelphia 76ers organization has ever had.
Next: No. 4/3
4. Jack Ramsay
Jack Ramsay spent four seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers from 1968 through the 1971-72 season. Ramsay’s overall record with the Sixers was 174 and 154.
Under Ramsay’s coaching, the Sixers made the playoffs in the first three of his four seasons there but failed to make it past the opening round each year. Ramsay would later go on to become one of the top 10 greatest NBA coaches of all time but mainly for what he did while coaching the Portland Trailblazers and not the Philadelphia 76ers.
After winning the 1977 NBA Championship with the Trailblazers, among numerous other accomplishments, he was voted into the basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. The only thing keeping Ramsay from being higher on this list is that he only achieved mild success while with the Sixers organization.
3. Alex Hannum
Alex Hannum coached the Syracuse Nationals from 1960-1963 and later became the Philadelphia 76ers Head Coach from 1966 through 1968. His overall record with the Syracuse Nationals was 127-112.
He is most recognized by what he was able to accomplish as the Sixers Head Coach for just two seasons. The Sixers went 130-33 those two seasons and went on to win the 1967 NBA Championship.
At the end of the day, what matters most is rings and Hannum brought one to Philadelphia in just two seasons. Alex Hannum was voted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998.
Next: No. 2/1
2. Larry Brown
Larry Brown is arguably the most recognizable 76ers coach mainly because he coached during the Allen Iverson era. Additionally, Brown may have been the greatest coach the Sixers ever had although he failed to secure an NBA Championship for Philly.
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Brown coached the Sixers from 1997 through the 2002-03 NBA season. During Brown’s reign, the Sixers failed to make the playoffs just once and that was the 1997 season. Their most epic season was no doubt the 2000-2001 season that ended with an NBA Finals loss to the Los Angelas Lakers. Most Philly fans remember this because it was when Allen Iverson did the infamous ‘step over’ of Tryonn Lue.
Brown was named the NBA Coach of the Year for that season and was one of only two Sixers coaches ever to win the award. Brown’s overall record with the Sixers was 255-205 and he was voted into the basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. The only stain on his legacy for the Sixers was never being able to bring home a championship to Philadelphia.
1. Billy Cunningham
“The Kangaroo Kid” is one of the greatest basketball talents the city of Philadelphia has ever seen. As a player, Billy Cunningham was a part of the 1967 NBA Championship team. He was later inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1986.
He spent his entire coaching career with the Philadelphia 76ers with an overall record of 454-196 over eight seasons. As if the record wasn’t impressive enough, Cunningham also brought another NBA Championship to Philadelphia in 1983.
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The city of Philadelphia has yet to see a person give as much as Cunningham did for the 76ers organization.