From Syracuse to South Philly: 80 Years of History Behind…

By the 76ers Nightly Desk · Saturday, October 3

The 76ers have won three championships by importing stars who played for other teams first, and this fall's Embiid-Maxey-Brown-James roster follows that same pattern. The rivalry that has shadowed Philadelphia since Syracuse now includes a trade that turned a Celtic, Jaylen Brown, into a 76er.

76ers Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Why does a team built on 1776 train its roster in New Jersey?

The 76ers name came from a 1963 contest after Irv Kosloff and Ike Richman moved the Syracuse Nationals to Philadelphia, picking 76ers for the Declaration of Independence signed in the city. The franchise still plays home games at Xfinity Mobile Arena in South Philadelphia, but the practice facility has sat across the river in Camden, New Jersey, since September 2016.

Has trading for a Celtic ever actually worked out for Philadelphia?

The Celtics have been the recurring playoff obstacle since the Syracuse years, including a quadruple-overtime game in 1953 that is still the longest in NBA history, and they ended Charles Barkley's rookie season in the conference finals. This offseason the 76ers sent Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks to Boston for Jaylen Brown, a Celtic turning into a 76er for the first time.

What does the 68-13 team have to do with this $213.2 million roster?

Wilt Chamberlain, Billy Cunningham and Hal Greer won the 1967 title on a team that started 46-4 and finished 68-13, voted the greatest in NBA history in 1980. That team proved stacking talent works in Philadelphia. The Embiid-Maxey-Brown-James group, carrying $213.2 million in contracts above the $200.4 million luxury-tax line, is the latest version of that same bet.

Did Embiid even need this much help to match the franchise's MVP list?

Five 76ers have won a combined seven MVP awards: Chamberlain, Erving, Malone, Iverson and Embiid himself. Every other name on that list played alongside at least one other Hall of Famer. Embiid spent most of his MVP seasons carrying the offense alone; this season he shares it with Maxey, Brown and a 41-year-old LeBron James on a two-year, $8 million deal signed July 27.

The verdictHistory says Philadelphia wins this way: borrow a rival's best player, pay the tax bill, and see if the talent outruns the bill. The answer starts October 20, when this group opens the season at the Knicks.

Why are the 76ers called the 76ers?

A 1963 naming contest, submitted by Walter Stalberg, picked '76ers' to mark the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia; 'Sixers' is the shorthand that stuck.

How many championships have the 76ers won?

Three: 1955 as the Syracuse Nationals, 1967 behind Wilt Chamberlain, and 1983 behind Julius Erving and Moses Malone.