Thursday, July 16, 2020
The Philadelphia 76ers were founded in 1946 and since then, they have been in the postseason more than half of their existence in the league. They also have three championships to their name. But aside from that, the 76ers have had a lot of talented players on their rosters and this is a TOUGH decision but the greatest 76ers player of all-time is Julius Erving.
Not only was Julius Erving one of the most dominant players of his time, but he has also changed the way the game was played. He was extremely crafty the ball, accomplishing amazing feats including the behind-the-backboard finger roll layup and dunking over Bill Walton (a defensive legend who was known for blocking shots).
Erving played with the 76ers for his entire 11 seasons in the NBA after the ABA-NBA merger. During his time in Philadelphia, he was an 11-time All-Star who made the All-NBA First Team five times and the All-NBA Second Team twice. He won league MVP during the 1980-1981 season and even helped the 76ers win a championship in 1983.
While playing with the 76ers, Erving averaged 22.0 points per game, along with 6.7 rebounds a game, 3.9 assists a game, 1.8 steals a game, and 1.5 blocks a game. He was also an amazing scorer. He averaged those 22.0 points on 51% but shot only 26% from behind the three-point line. He finished those 11 seasons with a true shooting percentage of 56%.
Currently, Julius Erving is the Philadelphia 76ers fourth all-time leader in points with 18,364. He is also their seventh all-time leader in rebounds with 5,601, their fourth all-time leader in assists with 3,224, their third all-time leader in steals with 1,508, and their 72nd all-time leader in three-pointers made with 46. He is their all-time leader in blocks with 1,293.
Erving helped the 76ers make the playoffs every year he played with them and assisted them in winning a championship. During the playoffs, he averaged 21.9 points per game, along with 7.0 rebounds per game, 4.2 assists per game, 1.7 steals per game, and 1.7 blocks per game. He shot 49% from the field but shot only 19% from beyond the arc. He finished with a combined true shooting percentage of 54%.
As of right now, Julius Erving is the Philadelphia 76ers’ all-time leader in points scored during the playoffs with a total of 3,088 and blocks with 239. He is also their third all-time leader in rebounds with 994, their second all-time leader in assists with 594, their second all-time leader in steals with 235, and their 25th all-time leader in three-pointers made with just seven.
The reason I say that Julius Erving was a tough decision for me is because the 76ers have had players like Allen Iverson and Charles Barkley suit up for them and they accomplished a whole lot, as well. I understand that Erving had Moses Malone when the 76ers won that championship in 1983 but he still was great (averaging 21.4 points per game that season). In my opinion, Julius Erving is the greatest 76ers player of all-time.
AllBallTakes 