(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The Philadelphia 76ers are arguably one of the most talented teams in the NBA and one of the most storied franchises the league has, with a proud history filled with iconic players.
Although the 76ers haven’t won it all since 1983 when superstar Julius Erving got the best of Magic Johnson and the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers in a four-game sweep, Philadelphia is still a franchise where superstars can flourish and love playing for, especially when their diehard fans get behind them.
On this day in 1996, the 76ers drafted one of their best players in franchise history, with the team taking Hall-of-Famer Allen Iverson as the No. 1 overall pick in one of the best drafts in league history that included fellow superstars Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen, and Steve Nash.
On this day in 2014, Philadelphia drafted another iconic player in the form of center Joel Embiid, taking him No. 3 overall out of the University of Kansas.
#OnThisDay 18 years apart, we drafted two icons. @AllenIverson | @JoelEmbiid | @NJMIns pic.twitter.com/C4Wpw3VTdl
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) June 26, 2023
Iverson and Embiid went on to win NBA MVP awards in a 76ers jersey, but they have come up short in the titles department.
Iverson was able to lead the 76ers to the 2001 NBA Finals but came up against a juggernaut in the form of the Kobe-Shaq Lakers, which went on to win the series with relative ease in five games.
As for Embiid, the talented center hasn’t been able to reach the Finals yet, as it appears to be the last thing on his list of goals while being the face of the franchise in Philadelphia.
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