Danny Pommells and Noah Levick debated Joel Embiid’s ranking on the list of all-time Sixers greats on the latest Sixers Talk Podcast.
Who’s the best Sixer ever?
Clearly, that’s a question with more than one valid answer. Statistical production as a Sixer, playoff success in Philadelphia, and overall career accomplishments are a few of the many reasonable factors one could consider.
Comparing across eras is especially difficult. An All-Star is an All-Star, but there’s so much beyond numbers and achievements that are impossible to fully appreciate unless you saw it yourself. Hal Greer’s mid-range jumper, Allen Iverson’s crossover, Mo Cheeks’ steadiness, and Wilt Chamberlain’s profound dominance all come to mind.
Though James Harden was a deserving member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team and is obviously among the best players to wear a Sixers uniform, he’s only done that 79 times in the regular season. It seems fair enough to remove him from consideration while acknowledging the 10-time All-Star is an excellent player. Along the same lines, Chris Webber (114 games), Dikembe Mutombo (106 games) and Bob McAdoo (29) had relatively brief stints as Sixers during Hall of Fame careers.
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With all of that said, here’s how we ranked the top 20 Sixers of all time on the Sixers Talk podcast. You can listen below for a more in-depth rationale behind the rankings.
Danny Pommells’ top 20
1. Julius Erving
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2. Allen Iverson
3. Charles Barkley
4. Moses Malone
5. Joel Embiid
6. Wilt Chamberlain
7. Hal Greer
8. Billy Cunningham
9. Ben Simmons
10. Mo Cheeks
11. Bobby Jones
12. Andrew Toney
13. Andre Iguodala
14. George McGinnis
15. Darryl Dawkins
16. Hersey Hawkins
17. Doug Collins
18. Aaron McKie
19. Steve Mix
20. Dolph Schayes
Noah Levick’s top 20
1. Wilt Chamberlain
2. Julius Erving
3. Moses Malone
4. Charles Barkley
5. Allen Iverson
6. Joel Embiid
7. Dolph Schayes
8. Hal Greer
9. Billy Cunningham
10. Bobby Jones
11. Chet Walker
12. Mo Cheeks
13. Doug Collins
14. Red Kerr
15. Andrew Toney
16. George McGinnis
17. Larry Costello
18. Andre Iguodala
19. Jrue Holiday
20. Ben Simmons
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