Philadelphia 76ers: The 10 craziest episodes in franchise history

April 6, 2016: Sam Hinkie resigns as general manager in 7,000 word letter with many obscure non-sports allusions

One of the craziest moments not only in 76ers history, but also in NBA and potentially sports history is Sam Hinkie’s resignation letter as general manager to the Sixers owners. after he was practically forced out by the league and the arrival of the Colangelos.

Yes, you all know the letter, the self-aggrandizing, so-called manifesto that quoted some of the world’s great philosophers, Nobel prize winners and of course good ole Honest Abe Lincoln: “give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

Hinkie clearly lived and ran the Sixers organization by this quote, and it was seen in his constant acquisition of draft picks and the creation of cap space during his tenure as the Sixers general manager.

From comparing his strategy of long-term thinking to the 10,000-year clock to his never-ending infatuation with Robert Covington, the resignation letter is ripe with seemingly random, unconnected quotes and tidbits of information.

Yet, my favorite part of the letter is this extraordinary example Hinkie used to explain how things never remain the same in life: “New Zealand’s flightless bird the Moa (measuring in at 10-feet, 400 pounds) had the life tramping around the South Island for a great long run; then the first Māori explorers washed ashore in canoes, and that was that.”

Of course, we all know about the Moa and its subsequent extinction and how that directly pertains to the Sixers and why Hinkie was forced out of the organization.

Right?

Look, at the end of the day, I am the biggest Hinkie supporter there is. He had a unique, long-term vision for this organization, and sadly he was not able to see it all come to fruition. I can also understand why the NBA would not want a general manager to try to lose games in the process of establishing future success, but it clearly paid off.

Currently, the Sixers are widely projected to be title contenders this year and the roster is budding with young talent mostly in part due to Hinkie. His resignation letter is just something the sports’ world has never seen and likely never will again. In Hinkie we trust! #TTP

For those interested, click on this link to read the whole Hinkie resignation letter.

— Jonathan Geib