Philadelphia 76ers Top 10 Players of All Time

(last updated on October 12, 2025)

The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the NBA’s most historic franchises. Founded in 1946 as the Syracuse Nationals, the franchise has won three NBA titles over its existence and has produced 29 Hall of Fame players and coaches. Today, the team is led by stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, building on the legacy of great players who have worn a Sixers uniform. Let’s examine that legacy by counting down the top 10 76ers players of all time.

Easily one of the top 76ers players of all time, Allen Iverson inspired a generation of players with his toughness, speed and grit–and by being unapologetically himself. Even Michael Vick once said his game was modeled after watching Iverson play quarterback for Bethel High School in Virginia. The Answer is the Sixers’ all-time leader in threes made with 885 and steals per game at 2.3. He is tied at second with Wilt Chamberlain in points per game with 27.6 and is second in minutes played for the franchise. After stints with the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and Detroit Pistons, the 76ers brought AI back in 2010 for his final NBA season.

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Forget the top 76ers players of all time, Wilt Chamberlain is one of the top NBA players ever. The West Philadelphia native remains a basketball icon in his hometown, having played for both the Warriors while they were in Philadelphia from 1960-62 and the 76ers from 1965-68. Chamberlain won a title with the 76ers in 1967 against his former San Francisco Warriors team. He is the 76ers franchise leader in minutes per game, rebounds per game, triple-doubles and field-goal percentage. Chamberlain retired in 1974 and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979. He died in 1999.

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The legendary Dr. J should be on anyone’s list of the top 10 76ers players of all time. Erving spent 11 seasons with the franchise, including a championship 1982-83 season and his NBA MVP 1980-81 season. Erving is the franchise leader in blocks and VORP (although Wilt Chamberlain did not play when blocks were recorded as an official stat.) He is fourth in 76ers history in both games and minutes played, second in field goals made and fifth in points per game with 22.0. After retiring as a Sixer following the 1987 season, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.

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Still in the prime of his career, hopefully, the 2022-23 MVP has already earned a spot with the top 76ers players of all time. Embiid’s rare blend of size, strength, shooting ability and athleticism is built for the modern NBA, and he is one of the league’s most exciting players today. Drafted third overall in 2014 during Sam Hinkie’s notorious “Process” rebuild era, Embiid embraced the philosophy of the GM who drafted him and nicknamed himself “The Process.” Embiid is already the franchise leader in points per game with 27.7 and leads the 76ers all time in advanced statistics such as PER, box plus/minus and usage rate.

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When the 76ers added reigning MVP Moses Malone to their roster in 1982, expectations were high. At the time, they knew he would be a good player. What nobody knew is that he would instantly win another MVP and lead the Sixers to a title in his first year with the team, cementing his place as one of the top 76ers players of all time. Averaging a double-double in Philly, Malone is third in franchise history in rebounds per game with 12.0 and seventh in points per game with 21.0. Malone’s #2 jersey was the most recent number retired by the 76ers in 2019.

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The Round Mound of Rebound, Charles Barkley was drafted by the 76ers fifth overall out of Auburn in the 1984 NBA Draft and spent eight seasons with the team. In Philadelphia, Barkley blossomed into one of the best forwards of his era and one of the greatest 76ers of all time. He made six of his 11 All-Star honors as a Sixer and was named the 1991 ASG MVP. Barkley is the 76ers franchise leader in offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds. In terms of advanced stats, he is the 76ers leader in true shooting percentage and effective FG percentage.

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Not only is Maurice Cheeks one of the top 76ers players of all time … he also served the team in the capacity of head coach from 2005-2008. While the team struggled during his head coaching tenure, he shined in his 11 seasons as a player. The point guard won five All-Defensive honors with the team and was a critical part of the 1983 championship. He is the franchise leader in assists with 6,212 and steals with 1,942. He has also played the third-most games in a 76ers uniform with 853. Cheeks was named a Hall of Fame player in 2018 and is currently an assistant coach with the Knicks.

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Hal Greer is one of the all-time great players in 76ers history, going all the way back to when the franchise was the Syracuse Nationals. The Hall of Famer spent his entire career with the Nationals/76ers making 10 All-Star games and winning an NBA title in 1967. Greer remains the 76ers all-time leader in several statistical categories including games played, minutes, points and field goals as well as being second in franchise history in assists. The 76ers retired Greer’s #15 in 1976, the first number retired by the club. Greer retired in 1973, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982 and passed away in 2018.

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Spending all nine of his NBA seasons with the 76ers, 6’6” forward Billy Cunningham is one of the most prolific individuals in franchise history. A member of the 1967 title team with Wilt Chamberlain and Hal Greer, Cunningham was also the team’s head coach in 1983, making him the only person in 76ers history to win a title for the team as both a player and a coach. In his playing days, Cunningham was named an All-Star five times and All-NBA four times. As a player, he is top 10 in points, rebounds, assists and minutes in 76ers history. He is also the winningest coach in franchise history, winning 454 games in eight years. 

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Though he spent most of his time playing for the 76ers franchise while the team was in Syracuse, Dolph Schayes is still a critical part of 76ers history and certainly one of the top 76ers players of all time. Schayes is the franchise leader in win shares, free throws made and total rebounds. He is second in games played for the club with 996 and third in scoring with 18,438 points. Schayes was a member of the 1955 Syracuse Nationals NBA championship team, the first title in franchise history. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1973. Schayes passed away in 2015 at the age of 87.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 30th, 2024 at 5:52 pm and is filed under Top 10 Lists. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.