Before this season, if I told you the Philadelphia 76ers would accomplish a historical feat, perhaps you’d think it would involve Joel Embiid’s unworldly scoring ability or Tyrese Maxey's continued breakout. Unfortunately for those involved, Philadelphia has made history in one of the worst ways ahead of its matchup against the New York Knicks tonight.
Thirty minutes before both teams tipped off, the 76ers announced their starting lineup, which consisted of Quentin Grimes, Lonnie Walker IV, Ricky Council IV, Justin Edwards, and Adem Bona. This unit turned out to be Philadelphia’s 52nd starting five of the season – resulting in it setting a new record for the highest number of different starting quintets in NBA history.
History has been made: with their 52nd unique starting lineup of the season, the 2024-25 Sixers have set the NBA record for most starting fives in an NBA season, breaking the record held by the 2023-24 Memphis Grizzlies.
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) April 1, 2025
Here is a look at each of the Sixers' 52 starting fives: pic.twitter.com/I0IN7MYCid
The record was previously held by the 2023-24 Memphis Grizzlies (51), who ran into similar misfortune as the 76ers. Memphis sustained injuries to its core players such as Ja Morant and Desmond Bane as well as many of its role players, which forced it to plug players in and out of the rotation. As a result, the Grizzlies finished the season with a 27-55 mark.
How did the 76ers make history?
When Memphis concluded its nightmarish season, many fans thought such a disaster was an anomaly, but Philadelphia quickly proved that to be false. From the beginning of this season, Embiid and George dealt with lingering injuries that resulted in both of them prematurely being shut down for the year. Due to such instability, the 76ers’ newly-acquired star trio consisting of Embiid, Maxey, and George only played in 15 games together.
However, Philadelphia’s storm of injuries didn’t stop there. Jared McCain’s rookie campaign tragically came to an end on December 13th when he suffered a torn meniscus. Moreover, both Eric Gordon (right wrist surgery) and Kyle Lowry (right hip injury management) haven’t played since February 9th. Ironically, Lowry will return against New York tonight and is expected to play in little stints off the bench via Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Between the 76ers’ roster being depleted from top to bottom along with players being imported and exported via trades, they were rolling out a fresh starting lineup on almost a nightly basis. Philadelphia’s inability to stay healthy and develop cohesion forced an impromptu tank. As the 76ers attempted to bottom out, the likes of Tyrese Maxey (right finger sprain), Kelly Oubre Jr. (right knee sprain), and Andre Drummond (left toe sprain) began to pile on the injury report.
The 76ers aren't finished yet
Philadelphia’s bad luck got to a point where it was given a plethora of hardship extensions which it used to acquire a variety of players on 10-day contracts from Oshae Brissett to Phillip Wheeler. The 76ers are also burning through the availability of two-way players Jeff Dowtin Jr. and Jalen Hood-Schifino.
Throughout the season, Philadelphia has rostered a total of 28 players and with Wheeler and Marcus Bagley’s 10-day contracts set to expire soon, that number will likely increase – meaning that its historic record could also grow before its last game on April 13th.