Retrospection: People who turned their backs on the Philadelphia 76ers,  Sixers dig too big a hole in loss to Pelicans

The Philadelphia 76ers have not won a championship since 1983. Joel Embiid is one of the best in the world but has been unable to lift the franchise to a title. Allen Iverson and Charles Barkley could not do it, either. The Sixers need a bit more help and to focus on building a championship team around their superstar.

Things are rarely easy in Philly. There is always drama and questions hanging over the organization. Fans haven’t forgotten the James Harden trade demand, but it was just one of many instances. Such is the life of an NBA franchise chasing a championship.

There have been plenty of front-office blunders in recent years. From failed draft picks to trades that never worked out, the 76ers have made mistakes. They have also had multiple players force their way out and create messy exits. Here is a look at several people who betrayed the franchise.

12. Jerry Stackhouse

The Sixers moved up to third in the 1995 NBA Draft lottery and selected Stackhouse. He was an All-American at UNC and immediately one of the best scorers in the NBA. Philadelphia won just 18 games in his rookie season and took Allen Iverson with the number one overall pick in 1996. They dreamed of an elite scoring backcourt, but the fit just never worked.

Stackhouse told the franchise he planned to leave in free agency in 1998. The 76ers could not allow him to walk with no compensation, so they traded the 6’6 wing with Eric Montross and a second-round draft pick to the Pistons for Aaron McKie, Theo Ratliff, and a 2003 first-rounder. Stackhouse went on to be a two-time All-Star in Detroit and play 18 seasons in the NBA.

Jerry Stackhouse wanted out, so the Philadelphia 76ers sent him packing. It was a messy exit, but there were certainly worse ones in franchise history.

11. Sam Hinkie

The 76ers hired Hinkie as their general manager and president of basketball operations in 2013. It was a franchise-altering more, which added The Process to NBA vernacular. Hinkie planned to strip the franchise to the studs and rebuild through the draft. Wins were not part of the calculus early on. Hinkie wanted to stockpile draft capital and young talent in hopes of building a perennial title contender.

Losing as much as the Sixers did takes a toll on the entire organization. They had just 47 victories in Hinkie’s three seasons in charge of the team. Philadelphia would often try to find talent outside the NBA, which meant playing subpar units on the floor. It was a disastrous era that did not bear fruit until after Hinkie’s departure.

10. Al Horford

Horford signed a four-year $109 million contract with the 76ers in 2019. The five-time All-Star had helped his team make the playoffs for a decade straight and was a starter and key contributor from the moment he entered the league. The Sixers hoped he could lift them to the next level, but his one season in Philadelphia did not go as planned.

Horford averaged 11.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 0.9 blocks in 30.2 minutes per game, but it was an awkward fit next to Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The Sixers were bounced in the first round of the playoffs and were quick to trade him to Oklahoma City after the season.

Horford admitted to the lack of fit after his departure. After one season in OKC, he was traded back to Boston where he has been a thorn in the 76ers side. The Sixers sold low only to see it come back to bite them on the floor.

9. Bryan Colangelo

The Sixers replaced Sam Hinkie with Bryan Colangelo as president of basketball operations. The two-time Executive of the Year was tasked with getting the team back on track. They made an 18-win improvement in year one and got to the playoffs in his second season. Philadelphia went from ten wins to 52 in his two years in charge, but things unraveled in 2018.

Colangelo was involved in a scandal featuring burner Twitter accounts. The veteran executive and his wife leaked sensitive team information on the social media platform, and The Ringer’s article exposing Colangelo resulted in his resignation in June 2018.

8. Jahlil Okafor

The 76ers drafted Okafor with the third overall pick in 2015, despite having Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel on their roster. Embiid did not play in Okafor’s rookie season because of a foot injury. It allowed the 20-year-old to average 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 30.0 minutes per game. Okafor finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting in what would be his best NBA season.

The 6’10 big man struggled to stay healthy and quickly became part of a dying breed. He did not space the floor and played primarily with his back to the basket. Okafor could not defend on the perimeter and had less utility in a league where floor spacing and versatility were taking over.

7. Chris Webber

Webber was one of the best power forwards in the NBA in the early 2000s. He made four straight All-Star and All-NBA appearances with the Kings and had Sacramento in contention. The 76ers made the NBA Finals in 2001 and tried to get Allen Iverson a co-star when they acquired Webber in 2005.

It was a bold move that never quite worked. The Sixers lost in the first round of the playoffs in 2005 and missed the postseason in 2006. Webber did averaged 20.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.4 steals in 38.6 minutes per game during his lone full season with the 76ers. His numbers do not tell the full story.

6. Jimmy Butler

Butler played just 55 regular season games with the 76ers. They gave up three role players and a second-round draft pick to acquire him in 2018. The All-Star wing forced his way out of Minnesota and was eager to chase a championship. The Sixers took the eventual champion Toronto Raptors to seven games in the second round and were one Kawhi Leonard buzzer-beater away from advancing to the conference finals for the first time since 2001.

Jimmy Buckets seemed like the perfect fit in Philly. He had a strong relationship with Joel Embiid and had the franchise in title contention. Butler became a free agent in 2019, and the Sixers signed-and-traded him to the Miami Heat.

Butler has not let the 76ers forget that they chose Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons over him. The Heat knocked out Philadelphia in the second round of the playoffs in 2022, and Jimmy Buckets let his former franchise hear it.

5. Wilt Chamberlain

Chamberlain was born and raised in Philadelphia. He went to Overbook High School in the city before going to college at Kansas. Wilt started his NBA career with the Philadelphia Warriors before the franchise moved to San Francisco. The 7’1 big man was traded to the 76ers in January of 1965 and spent three and a half seasons back in Philly.

Wilt led the Sixers to a championship in 1967. It was their second in franchise history, but the 7’1 big man requested a trade after his team was knocked out by the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs in 1968.

4. Andrew Bynum

The 76ers traded for Bynum at absolutely the worst time. He was an All-Star in 2012 playing next to Kobe Bryant on the Lakers. Bynum averaged 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks and was second-team All-NBA. The 24-year-old appeared to be on the rise, so the Sixers gave up Andre Iguodala, Moe Harkless, Nikola Vucevic, and a first-round draft pick to acquire him a four-team trade.

Bynum never played in Philadelphia. He missed the entire 2012-13 season with a knee injury and things got wilder from there. The 7’1 big man injured his knee worse bowling and left for Cleveland in free agency in the summer of 2013. Bynum played just 26 more NBA games before hanging up his sneakers in 2014 at just 26 years old.

3. James Harden

The ten-time All-Star is one of the all-time greats, but he is no stranger to a messy exit. Harden has forced his way out of multiple situations, but his public breakup with Daryl Morey was shocking. Morey brought him to Houston and helped make Harden a superstar, so it was stunning to see the star point guard call the executive a liar and declare he would never play for him again.

The Beard lasted just a season and a half in Philadelphia. The 76ers were bounced in the second round of the playoffs both years. Joel Embiid became the MVP playing next to Harden, but the team never reached their goals.

2. Ben Simmons

The Sixers drafted Simmons with the number one overall pick in the 2016 draft. He missed his first season with a foot injury before winning Rookie of the Year and becoming a three-time All-Star playing next to Joel Embiid. There was a point when Simmons was an elite defender, and the 76ers looked to be climbing toward title contention with two young stars, but things unraveled quickly.

Sixers fans will never forget his playoff meltdown against the Hawks in 2021. The 6’10 point guard struggled from the foul line and became hesitant to shoot. He was passing up open lay-ups by the end of the series as Philadelphia was shockingly upset. It was the beginning of the end for his time with the 76ers.

1. Charles Barkley

The 76ers drafted Barkley with the fifth overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. He quickly became one of the best power forwards in the league. Barkley was a six-time All-Star in Philadelphia, but the franchise made its deepest playoff run in his rookie season when they reached the conference finals. He was a special talent, but after missing the postseason in 1992, the 6’6 forward demanded a trade.

The Sixers traded him for three role players, but the deal turned into a disaster as Jeff Horncek left after a season and a half. Barkley continued to be one of the best forwards in the world. He made five more All-Star appearances and led the Suns to the NBA Finals in 1993.

Barkley was afraid he would never win with the 76ers, but the all-time great did not win a championship in his Hall of Fame career. Could Philadelphia have built a contender around him? It is impossible to know, but the franchise would have certainly tried. Barkley decided to move on in the middle of his prime, and the whole situation was a disaster for the Sixers.

The Philadelphia 76ers are no strangers to drama and players turning their backs on the organization. These are the worst, and the franchise hopes to avoid another incident.