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When was the last time the Philadelphia 76ers won the NBA Championship?

By Ian Levy

PHILADELPHIA, : Allen Iverson, (L), of the Philadelphia 76ers, who played for the East All Stars, talks with basketeball legend Julius "Doctor J" Erving (R) prior to the start of the NBA All Star Game 10 February 2002 in the First Union Center, in Philadelphia, PA. Iverson wore the number 6 on his jersey, Irving's old number when he played for the 76ers. AFP PHOTO/ TOM MIHALEK (Photo credit should read TOM MIHALEK/AFP via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, : Allen Iverson, (L), of the Philadelphia 76ers, who played for the East All Stars, talks with basketeball legend Julius "Doctor J" Erving (R) prior to the start of the NBA All Star Game 10 February 2002 in the First Union Center, in Philadelphia, PA. Iverson wore the number 6 on his jersey, Irving's old number when he played for the 76ers. AFP PHOTO/ TOM MIHALEK (Photo credit should read TOM MIHALEK/AFP via Getty Images) /
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With James Harden, Joel Embiid and a deep supporting cast the 76ers have their best chance at winning a title in years. Exactly how long has it been since the last one?

Joel Embiid may not challenge Nikola Jokic for MVP like he has the past two seasons. James Harden is far from the player he was at his peak with the Houston Rockets. But in the 2022-23 season, the 76ers are firmly in the group of inner-circle contenders with a great shot at winning it all.

The regular season has revealed plenty of cracks in the facade of the other Eastern Conference contenders and the West is as wide open as ever. 76ers’ fans haven’t had an NBA championship to celebrate in quite a while and if Harden and Embiid can bring it home they’d be entrenched as franchise legends.

It’s been 40 years since the Philadelphia 76ers last won the NBA championship

The Philadelphia 76ers have three championships in franchise history, the last of which came in the 1982-83 season. That year, they finished with the best record in the league and lost just one playoff game as they cruised past the Knicks and Spurs, before sweeping the Lakers in the NBA Finals.

That team was led by Hall-of-Famers Mo Cheeks, Bobby Jones, Julius Erving and Moses Malone, who led the team in scoring and won MVP, averaging 24.5 points, 15.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.0 blocks per game.

The Philadelphia 76ers won two previous championships — in the 1966-67 season and in the 1954-55 season when they were still known as the Syracuse Nationals. In 1967, they were led by Wilt Chamberlain who averaged an absurd 24.1 points, 24.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game. In 1955, the team was led by Hall-of-Famer Dolph Schayes, who averaged 18.5 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

The 76ers have made the NBA Finals and lost on six different occasions — 2001, 1982, 1980, 1977, 1954 and 1950.

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