Player Focus

Top Ten Sixers Moments of the Decade

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As the waining hours of the 2010’s pass by, now is the time to contemplate on how much we’ve grown over the past ten years. And very few have seen as much growth over the past decade as the 76ers.

They started the ’10’s toeing the line of mediocrity, then became the laughingstock of the NBA en route to becoming the legit title contender they are today. It’s amazing how much has changed. Jakar Sampson played big minutes for this team just a few short years ago and now they have a lineup of five borderline All-Stars. There was a time when fans got excited over an imaginary Danny Granger, but look at us now.

There are a lot of moments to highlight from the past ten years. Way more than ten to say the least. I feel bad ignoring any one of these iconic moments, so here are some of the honorable mentions that just missed the cutoff:

Honorable mentions

  • KJ McDaniels’ lob to himself
  • “DARIO FUCKING MOVE!”
  • Jahlil Okafor punches someone for saying the Sixers suck
  • Phantom of the Opera Joel
  • Headband bros
  • Furkan Korkmaz hits eight three’s in Summer League
  • Markelle Fultz’ three pointer
  • That time the floors got too wet to play
  • MCW’s debut

 

And now without further ado, the top ten Sixers moments of the decade:

#10: Sixers trade for Andrew Bynum

It may have ended poorly, but it sure was fun while it lasted.

For years, Sixers fans had been desperately wishing for a star player who could push the team to the next level. Enter Andrew Bynum, who was widely considered the second-best center in basketball at the time and an integral part of the Lakers’ back-to-back titles in 2009 and ’10. He joined the team fresh off their first playoff series win in nearly a decade. Bynum would join young, All-Star Jrue Holiday to form a promising core and begin a new era of Sixers basketball.

Then Bynum went bowling, got hurt, and never played a game in a Sixers uniform. It didn’t go as fans expected, but it did usher in a new era for the Sixers.

#9: Sixers trade Jrue Holiday to the New Orleans Pelicans

In the wake of the disaster that was the Andrew Bynum trade, the Sixers decided to go into a wholesale rebuild the likes of which the NBA had never seen. With newly appointed GM Sam Hinkie at the helm, the Sixers were going to lose their way to the top and the first step was trading their only player worth keeping.

The move sent shockwaves throughout the NBA. In exchange for Jrue Holiday, the Sixers received the right to Nerlans Noel – who missed an entire season nursing a torn ACL – and an unprotected first round pick the following year. It was unexpected, unprecedented, and not widely supported by Sixers fans, but the tanking had begun and the Process was born. The trade completely altered the landscape of the franchise and the team wouldn’t be what it is today without it.

#8: The Corey Brewer Game

This may have been my favorite game of the decade.

Fresh off signing a ten-day contract and starting in place of an injured Jimmy Butler, Corey Brewer was tasked with guarding James Harden on national television and did not disappoint. He put on a legendary performance that should be remembered and cherished forever. It was pure nonsense and I loved every bit of it.

It’s a shame Brewer wasn’t offered a full contract for the rest of the season, but we’ll always have the memories.

#7: The Picks actually swapped!?

The picks actually swapped. The picks really, actually swapped. I honestly still struggle to believe it happened. The Sixers were able to jump two spots in the draft all because the Sacramento Kings wanted to dump salary so they could sign Rajon Rondo. Life is a simulation.

Of course, that pick was then traded to the Boston Celtics so the Sixers could draft Markelle Fultz, which hurts my heart to think about, but hey, the picks freakin swapped!

#6: Eight seed Sixers upset the one seed Chicago Bulls

This feels like an entirely different lifetime ago.

Thanks in large part to the knees of Derrick Rose, the Sixers were able to pull off one of the biggest upsets in franchise history. Sure, it’s kind of cheap that they won because of injury, but when you go nearly a decade without winning a playoff series, you take what you can get. Especially when your a seven-seed underdog.

Not only was it a huge upset, it ended in dramatic fashion with Andre Igoudala hitting two free-throws to give the Sixers the lead with 2.2 seconds left on the clock. It was exactly what the fanbase needed after years of being subjected to listless basketball.

#5: Chu Chu Maduabum

At the 2015 trade deadline, the Sixers acquired the rights to Chukwudiebere Maduabum from the Denver Nuggets and the world was never the same. He became an instant, cultish fan favorite and an icon for all to admire. Although he never actually played for the Sixers, he was the perfect Process player. Chu Chu is essentially an amalgamation of all the nameless, faceless players the Sixers went through during the Process years.

Guys like Lorenzo Brown, Cenk Akyol, JP Tokoto, Furkan Aldemir, Tim Frazier, Larry Drew, Brandon Davies, Christian Wood, Sonny Weems, Casper Ware, James Nunnelly are just a few drops of water in the endless sea of Process era players deserving of recognition. In their place, we celebrate Chu Chu.

#4: Joel Embiid’s NBA debut

There was a point where it seemed like Joel Embiid was destined to be the next Greg Oden. He was injury prone, out of shape, and ignoring team requests, and all this was before he ever even played in a game.

Then he stepped foot on an NBA court and made it abundantly clear that he was not going to be a bust. He was everything we were promised and then some. He was graceful, dominant, and worked the crowd like a WWE veteran. The wait was long, but he made it worth while. This debut taught the city of Philadelphia how to love again.

This game also gets bonus points for the fan flipping off Russell Westbrook. Not a great look for the fan base, but a solid meme nonetheless.

#3: TJ McConnell’s game-winner

This shot should be played on a constant loop in the Smithsonian. It is a historic work of art and should be treated as such.

Everything about this play is perfect. The spin by TJ. The shot over Carmelo Anthony’s head. The sprint down court. The jump and fist pump like he was in a John Hughs movie. The mean mug as Embiid hypes him up.

*chef’s kiss*

It’s pure perfection. This is the quinesential TJ moment and might be the single greatest play of the decade, outside of the next entry on this list.

#2: Embiid’s windmill dunk against the Raptors

This was our championship.

It hurts to think about how the series ended, but this was the highest high of the decade for the Sixers. We may have come crashing back down to earth shortly after, but it was a pretty chill high.

The Sixers had the win in the bag, they looked like they were in complete control of the series, then Embiid hit the windmill and everything got cranked up to eleven. He put an extra exclamation point on a sentence that already had twelve. He didn’t need to do it to them, but he did it anyways.

The play had everything we love about Jo Jo, from the dunk to the plane wings and Hulk Hogan pose. This is the best play of the decade.

#1: The 2014 NBA Draft

Pardon the hyperbole, but this is the best draft in Sixers history. There are so many different factors that went into it and they all broke the Sixers way.

Joel Embiid was the projected #1 pick leading up to the draft, but his injury history led the Cleveland Cavaliers to favor Andrew Wiggins, much to the chagrin of Sixers fans. In hindsight, we were stupid idiots. Embiid falling to the third overall pick was the greatest thing to happen to this franchise since they selected Allen Iverson first overall. The Sixers wouldn’t be where they are today without him, especially if they had Andrew Wiggins instead. I shutter to even think about it.

On top of the Embiid pick, the Sixers were able to trade the rights to Elfried Peyton to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Dario Saric<3 and some picks. One of those picks just so happened to be the 2016 first round pick the Sixers sent Orlando in the Andrew Bynum trade. And what ever became of that 2016 pick? Well, it was used to draft Ben Simmons first overall.

So just to recap, the Sixers came away with a franchise defining steal in Joel Embiid, they traded back to acquire a fan favorite, Dario Saric, who was eventually used to acquire Jimmy Butler, as well as the pick that would become Ben Simmons.

This draft alone is why Sam Hinkie’s name is spoken with reverence. The Sixers are on their second GM since Hinkie and still reaping the benefits of his masterpiece. If the Sixers win a title in the near future it’s because of Hinkie and what he was able to do in this draft.

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