In 1963, the Syracuse Nationals moved to Philadelphia after spending 15 seasons in New York, thus becoming the Philadelphia 76ers. The move shocked the league as the Nationals had a lot of success in Syracuse including a Championship win in 1955. The league landscape has changed dramatically since the Sixers entered the NBA as only nine teams were in the league compared to 30 in 2023.
At the time, there were only four teams in the Eastern Conference and five in the Western Conference, whereas today we see 15 teams in each conference with more expansion teams possible in the not-too-distant future. They are one of only eight teams to survive the first decade of the NBA. In the 60 years that have followed, the 76ers have brought two championships home to the City of Brotherly Love, and have made 39 postseason appearances (65% of seasons ended in a playoff berth). Their 39 playoff appearances rank third all-time in NBA history and 14 of these playoff runs have come since 2000 with an NBA Finals appearance in 2001.
We all know the team’s legends such as Allen Iverson, Julius Erving, Joel Embiid, Wilt Chamberlain, Charles Barkley, Moses Malone, and Hal Greer just to name a few. These players all made a significant impact during their time with the historic franchise and became fan favorites in the process. It’s easy to remember a city’s legendary players, but here are a few names that you may have forgotten were part of the Sixers organization during their careers.
JaVale McGee
Before James Harden wore number 1 for the Philadelphia 76ers, journeyman center Javale McGee donned the number for a short time. McGee was in a Sixers uniform for just about a cup of coffee back in 2015 during the peak of the Process era. McGee was traded by the Denver Nuggets to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for the rights to Cenk Akyol, a prospect who never played a game in the NBA, and his rights were ultimately traded several more times in the years that followed.
McGee spent just six games with the team, playing a minor role off the bench on a team that won just 10 games. His best moment as a Sixer came in his home debut when he threw down a titanic one-handed slam against the Indiana Pacers in front of passionate fans at Wells Fargo Center. This landed him on highlight reels across sports television and was a positive moment for a team that was otherwise dreadful and hard to watch. His veteran presence, even in a short stint, no doubt had an impact on some of the young players on the Sixers squad.
He was waived by the team in March 2015 and has since gone on to win three NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. McGee’s resilience and ability to contribute both as a starter and a role player have made him a respected player around the NBA. He is entering his 15th season in 2023 after signing a one-year contract with the Sacramento Kings worth $3.1 million
Kwame Brown
Drafted number one overall by the Washington Wizards, Kwame Brown’s career was plagued with inconsistency and lackluster play right from the start. Faced with high expectations as Michael Jordan’s first draft pick with the Wizards, the 6’11 power forward was never able to play up to the level that scouts saw coming out of Glynn Academy High School. He was criticized heavily by analysts all across the sports world, most notably Stephen A. Smith, and was labeled as one of the biggest busts of all time in the NBA.
While this is debatable due to his longevity throughout the league, there is no doubt that his career left much to be desired. Taken before stars such as Tony Parker, Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph, and Tyson Chandler in the same draft, Brown did not live up to the hype surrounding him at the time of his selection. He bounced around the league throughout 12 seasons, spending time with the Lakers, Pistons, Hornets, Warriors, and Grizzlies but failed to find sustainable success.
Brown ended his career with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2012, signing a two-year contract worth $6 million. His stint with the Sixers was ultimately forgettable, as he averaged just 1.9 points over 22 games (11 starts). In the second season of his contract, he was waived without even playing a game for the team. Shortly after, he announced his retirement from the NBA and went on to play in the Big 3 basketball league for a short time.
Gerald Henderson Jr
Gerald Henderson Jr. spent eight seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets. He was a standout on the lackluster Charlotte teams (including a 7-59 team in 2011), posting four seasons of double-digit points including a career-high 15.5 points per game in 2013. After leaving Charlotte in 2015, Henderson played a season in Portland with the Trailblazers, where he adapted to a bench role for the first time since his rookie year back in 2009.
Henderson’s bench role proved to be short-lived as he signed with the Sixers a year later and returned to the starting lineup. Henderson played a pivotal role in the rebuilding squad. He started 41 games and averaged a respectable 9.2 points per game on 42% shooting from the field. His field goal percentage was down from his career average, but he shot 35% from three-point range, which was the highest mark of his career. It is no surprise that Henderson chose to play for the Sixers as he had a local connection to the team, playing high school basketball at nearby Episcopal Academy.
His father, Gerald Henderson Sr, played for the Sixers from 1987 to 1989 and currently runs a real estate business in Blue Bell, Montgomery County, just 25 miles from South Philadelphia. Henderson’s basketball career ended prematurely in 2018 due to injuries to his hip and Achilles and he officially retired in 2019. In 535 games he scored 5987 points and ranks fifth in Bobcats history in points per game (12.0).
Joe Bryant
Everyone knows of the late, great Kobe Bryant. He played his high school ball at Lower Merion before being drafted by the Charlotte Hornets and flipped to the Los Angeles Lakers in a draft day trade. Bryants spent his entire 20-year Hall of Fame career with the Lakers where he won five championships, was named to 18 All-Star games, and won an MVP award. Many people tend to forget that his father, Joe Bryant, spent four years with the 76ers organization from 1975 to 1979.
After playing at La Salle University, Bryant was drafted in the first round by the Golden State Warriors before being traded to the Sixers before his rookie season. This was a homecoming for Bryant, as La Salle is located just 15 miles from where the Spectrum, where the Sixers played at the time. He played 287 games with the club, averaging 6.4 points to go along with 3.3 rebounds per game. He was a big part of the 1977 Eastern Conference Champion team that featured Julius Erving, Doug Collins, and George McGinnis. They lost to the eventual NBA champion Portland Trail Blazers in six games.
Bryant was traded ahead of the 1979 season to the Clippers and played four more seasons in the NBA before ending his career overseas in 1992. While Joe Bryant’s NBA career may not have reached the same stratospheric heights as his son Kobe’s, his contributions to the game are undeniably part of the Bryant family and Sixers legacies.
Toni Kukoc
Toni Kukoc is best known as one of the first established European stars to play in the NBA. Kukoc was drafted in the second round by the Chicago Bulls in 1990 and officially reported to the team in 1993 after his contract in Europe came to a close. A 3-time champion with the Bulls, Kukoc spent the first seven seasons of his career in Chicago.
The Bulls dynasty came to an end before the 1998-1999 season when Michael Jordan retired and Scottie Pippen was traded to the Houston Rockets. Kukoc remained with the team for two more seasons until he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in a three-team deal in 2000. He played just 80 games for the team, averaging 9.8 points per game across two seasons. His versatility and championship pedigree were assets to the team during that period.
Kukoc, however, was not able to put his championship pedigree on display as he was traded to the Hawks during the 2001 season, a campaign that saw the Sixers advance to the NBA Finals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers. He went on to play five more seasons before retiring after the 2006 season. After retiring from the NBA, Kukoc became a special advisor for Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf in 2015, a position that he still holds today.
While these five players may not have achieved the same level of fame as some of the Philadelphia 76ers legends, they all played a part in shaping the team’s story. Their stints were short lived but they put it all on the line each and every night in front of the Philly crowd and will forever be a part of the iconic franchise’s history.
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