76ers mascot: Why are they called the 76ers?

The Philadelphia 76ers face off against the Toronto Raptors in the first-round of the NBA Playoffs. Here is why the team is called the 76ers.

The Philadelphia 76ers are looking to win their first NBA championship since 1983, when they swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. They received the fourth-seed in the Eastern Conference bracket of the NBA Playoffs, and have to take on the Toronto Raptors.

For those wondering how Philadelphia’s NBA team received their name and what their mascot is, we have you covered.

Why are they called the 76ers?

According to the 76ers’ team website, the name 76ers came from the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which was penned and signed in 1776. But the name itself was chosen by a contest winner, Walt Stahlberg, after the Syracuse Nationals were moved to Philadelphia.

What is the 76ers mascot?

Philadelphia’s mascot is Franklin, a blue dog who the team introduced back in 2015.  The team decided to have a “kids-only Chief Design Team” lead the search for a new mascot.

Here is the 76ers’ explanation as to how they decided to go with Franklin as their mascot:

"As they dug through piles of books, watched movies and spoke with Philadelphians far and wide, along with more than 1,000 kids, they found a common thread…a special creature…whose ancestors had been a part of the city’s history from the start.When George Washington crossed the Delaware, a blue tail was wagging in the boat.When our nation’s forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence, a blue paw was found on the scroll.A blue mouth dragged Ben Franklin to safety after he was struck by lightning and discovered electricity.A furry blue flash ran alongside Rocky Balboa, and put two paws in the air when he reached the top of the Art Museum steps.There were tiny teeth marks in the paper Wilt Chamberlain held for the cameras after his historic 100-point game.Blue paws were seen pacing behind the Sixers bench in the days of Dr. J.Perky blue ears were in the stands when Allen Iverson made Sixers fans roar.The designers were convinced that this creature, if they could find it today, might be the mascot they’d been looking for all this time.The designers were convinced that this creature, if they could find it today, might be the mascot they’d been looking for all this time.They took a break from their research to play some basketball at the arena…and found tiny blue scratch marks on the court….then bits of blue fur…and then, peeking around the corner of the Sixers’ locker room, the Chief Designers saw eyes looking up at them from a blue furry creature.They’d found it! The descendant of these great blue creatures had come to live at the Center!"

That is how Franklin came to be the new mascot for the 76ers.

The team had been without a mascot since 2011 after new ownership opted to move on from previous mascot, Hip Hop. Prior to Hip Hop, the team had Big Shot as their mascot.