As it stands right now, the Philadelphia 76ers hold the third pick in next month's NBA draft, which will take place on June 25th. This is the first time that the franchise will be selecting inside the lottery since the 2016-2017 season when they selected Markelle Fultz first overall out of Washington.
The 76ers have a history when it comes to selecting third overall in the NBA draft. Since moving to Philadelphia in 1963, they have made a total of four selections with the third pick, the most recent coming back in 2015 with Jahlil Okafor out of Duke.
Revisiting the 76ers’ history with pick No. 3
The first time the 76ers ever made a third overall pick was back in 1988 when they selected Charles Smith. He would never step on the court for the franchise as Smith was immediately traded to the Los Angeles Clippers where he spent his first four NBA seasons. Smith would go on to play for the Clippers, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs during a 10 year NBA career where he averaged 14.4 points per game and was named to the all rookie team in 1989.
Seven years later in 1995, the 76ers took Jerry Stackhouse with the third pick out of North Carolina. Stackhouse showed flashes of potential during his time in Philadelphia over the course of three seasons. In 175 games, he averaged 19.5 points to go along with 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
Stackhouse had no interest to returning to the team following his rookie deal alongside superstar Allen Iverson, so the 76ers traded him and Eric Montross midway through the 1997 season to the Detroit Pistons for a package that included Theo Ratliff and Aaron McKie along with draft considerations. He would go on to have a fairly productive NBA career, being named a two time All Star and averaging 16.9 points per game over the course of 18 seasons.
It would take another 19 years for Philadelphia to select at number three and it became one of the most important selections in recent team history. The team took center Joel Embiid out of Kansas with the third pick, a selection that changed the trajectory of 76ers basketball.
Embiid has been one of the franchise cornerstones for the team over the course of the last decade, having been named to seven All-Star teams, five all NBA teams, and the MVP back in 2023. Embiid’s career in Philadelphia has been remarkable, however, in recent seasons, he has struggled to stay healthy which has led to much discussion of if he will be able to ever leave the 76ers to the ultimate goal of an NBA championship, a feat they have not accomplished since 1983.
Finally, in 2015, the 76ers selected center Jahlil Okafor out of Duke with the idea of creating a powerhouse front court with Okafor, Embiid and Nerlens Noel. He had his moments in Philadelphia, including a productive rookie season in which he averaged 17.5 points per game and finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting. Unfortunately, this powerhouse frontcourt never materialized as Noel and Okafor were traded in 2017 after each spending three years with the organization.
If the Philadelphia 76ers do decide to keep the number three pick in this year’s NBA draft, they will hope that the player they select will have an impact and tenure similar to Joel Embiid who has undoubtedly been the best third overall pick in the team's prestigious history.