The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association. They have been with the league since 1949 (when they were the Syracuse Nationals) and many of basketball’s most well-known legends, such as Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and Wilt Chamberlain, played for the Sixers.

The team traces its lineage back to 1946 when Danny Biasone paid $5,000 to the National Basketball League to start a franchise in Syracuse. They were known as the Nationals back then. They were one of seven teams to merge with the NBA in 1949 and they played as the Syracuse Nationals until 1963 when the team was moved to Philadelphia and renamed the 76ers.

It didn’t take long before the Nationals made an impact on the league. Future Hall of Fame forward Dolph Schayes led them to an NBA Championship in the 1954-55 season.

Eventually, the Nationals were the only team to play in a medium-sized city and they began to struggle financially. Biasone sold the team to Irv Kosloff who subsequently relocated the team to Philadelphia. They were renamed the 76ers after the year 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia. Just one year earlier, the Warriors had left Philadelphia to start playing in San Francisco.

In the 1964-65 season, the 76ers acquired the dominant Wilt Chamberlain. Chamberlain had played his high school ball in Philadelphia and had made a lasting impression with Philadelphia fans when he played for the Warriors while they were still in Philadelphia. Just two years prior, Chamberlain had scored 100 points in a regular season game against the New York Knicks, a scoring record that hasn’t been approached before or after the feat occurred.

The biggest challenge the 76ers faced was the Boston Celtics. The Celtics were in the midst of one of the longest dynasties in professional sports in the 1960s, winning eight straight titles from 1959 to 1966. They beat Philadelphia in a seven-game Eastern Conference Finals in 1966.

The 76ers would put together one of the greatest seasons in league history the following year. They started out by winning 46 of their first 50 games en route to a 68-13 record (the best record in league history at the time). They cruised to the NBA Finals, defeating Boston in five games to put a stop to their 8-year championship streak. They faced the Warriors in the Finals and beat them in six games for their first title since moving to Philadelphia.

Philadelphia returned to the Eastern Conference Finals the following year in a rematch from 1967 with the Boston Celtics. It appeared that the end result would be the same after Philadelphia took a 3-1 series lead. However, Boston took the final three games to return to the NBA Finals. The 1967-68 season was also remarkable due to the fact that they traded Chamberlain away to the LA Lakers.

Just six after winning the 1967 Championship in one of the greatest seasons of all-time, Philadelphia had arguably the worst season in league history. They lost their first 15 games of the 1972-73 season and would later lose 20 straight that year. They finished with a 9-73 record, which to this date is the worst record in league history.

After the ABA-NBA merger in 1976, Philadelphia acquired Julius Erving. Erving had established himself among basketball fans as one of the most exciting players ever in his years in the ABA. He continued to succeed in the NBA, helping the 76ers get to the championship series in 1977, 1980, and 1982, although they lost in each series.

It wasn’t until the team acquired center Moses Malone prior to the 1982-83 season that Philadelphia was able to win a championship. Malone was named league MVP for the season as he led them to a 65 regular season wins. They dominated throughout the playoffs and delivered on Malone’s prediction to win the championship when they defeated the Lakers in a four-game sweep.

The 76ers have not won a championship since their historic 1983 season. They have employed some of the league’s best players, however, such as forward Charles Barkley and guard Allen Iverson. Iverson led the Sixers back to the finals in 2001 only to lose to the Lakers in five games.

After another disappointing season in 2009-2010, Philadelphia hired Doug Collins to coach the team. Collins formerly played for the team and has had success as a head coach in the NBA formerly for the Chicago Bulls. They have the second pick in the upcoming NBA Draft and are led by forward Elton Brand and guard Andre Iguodala.