The 76ers open 2026-27 at 0-0, built around a trade that sent Paul George to Boston for Jaylen Brown and a two-year deal for LeBron James. None of it is new: this franchise has traded across the same rivalry, set impossible bars and watched health end a window before, and the record of all three is on file.
Why does trading for Jaylen Brown put a 60-year rivalry back on the schedule?
Philadelphia sent Paul George and four picks to Boston for Brown, a Celtic before he was a Sixer. That rivalry dates to Charles Barkley's rookie season, when the 76ers lost the conference finals to the Celtics, and further back to Ike Richman, the co-owner who died of a heart attack courtside at Boston Garden on December 3, 1965. Every Sixers-Celtics game this year carries all of that.
Has this franchise ever opened a season this loaded before?
Yes, and it set a bar nobody here has cleared since. The 1966-67 team started 46-4, finished 68-13 under Alex Hannum with Wilt Chamberlain, Billy Cunningham and Hal Greer, and was voted the greatest team in NBA history in 1980. Embiid, Maxey, James and Brown open this season 0-0, with nothing yet on the board to compare.
What does this franchise's last superstar trade warn about?
After the 1967-68 season, Philadelphia traded Wilt Chamberlain to the Lakers for Archie Clark, Darrall Imhoff and Jerry Chambers. The decline that followed bottomed out in 1971-72, when the 76ers finished 30-52 and missed the playoffs for the first time in team history, just five years removed from a title. This year's core is older: Embiid is 32, James is 41, and both come with recent injury questions. History says talent alone doesn't hold a window open.
Why does the October 20 opener at the Knicks matter more than a normal road game?
New York eliminated Philadelphia in the first round in 2024, then swept them out of the second round last season. The 76ers open the regular season at the Knicks on October 20, and that matchup is exactly the wall Embiid, Maxey and James are trying to clear this time. Two straight playoff exits at the same team's hands stopped being a coincidence a while ago.
When did this franchise last get a superstar this close to a title?
2001, when Allen Iverson led the 76ers to the Finals and lost in five games to the Lakers. Embiid is the fifth 76er to win an MVP, joining Chamberlain, Erving, Malone and Iverson, and the franchise is chasing a deeper playoff run than it has managed since his MVP season. Twenty-five years is a long wait for one more trip.
When did the 76ers last win an NBA championship?
1983, led by Julius Erving and Moses Malone.
Why are they called the 76ers?
The name came from a contest won by Walter Stalberg after the team moved to Philadelphia in 1963, referencing the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence in the city.
More from The Broad Street Line
all 76ers news →
The big question · Tue, Sep 29The Big Question: Is $213.2 Million Enough to Beat the Second Round?
Morning · Tue, Sep 29Why LeBron Really Signed Isn't About LeBron
Around the beat · Mon, Sep 28Media Day Gave Everybody Quotes. Here's What Holds Up.
By the numbers · Mon, Sep 28By the Numbers: $213.2 Million Bought This Team, Not a Guarantee
Morning · Mon, Sep 28The Sixers' Biggest Update Today Is a Patch, Not a Player
Player focus · Sun, Sep 27Embiid's Health Is the Only Number That Decides This Season