ESPN Selects Sixers’ All-Time Franchise Starting Five

The current Sixers team as constructed has had some of the best single-season win totals in franchise history. Their 52 and 53 win seasons are some of the highest win totals in team history, a history filled with some great seasons, and players.

They were the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference the past two seasons, and opened this season as one of the teams thought to have a legitimate chance of competing for a NBA title.

While this year as been somewhat of a disappointment, the team does have some big wins, over some of the leagues best teams like the Bucks, Lakers and Clippers.  They were a NBA best 29-2 at home before COVID-19, put the season on hold.

But with a young core, featuring Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, the Sixers window of opportunity isn’t going to close any time soon. However, even with the teams recent run of success, no member of the current roster was selected for the franchise’s all-time starting five, as selected by ESPN. No Simmons. No Embiid.

Simmons was the 2018 NBA Rookie of the year, a two-time all-star and has developed into one of the leagues best defenders. As for Embiid, the Sixers big man has been selected second-team All-NBA in team of his three NBA seasons thus far. He has also been named to the second-team All-NBA defensive team twice.

But it wasn’t enough for either to crack the Sixers all-time starting five.

Here’s who ESPN selected:

G: Allen Iverson
G: Hal Greer
F: Julius Erving
F: Charles Barkley
C: Wilt Chamberlain

Few teams will have a set of names more star-studded than this one. Each player made at least 10 All-Star teams. Four of them won MVP awards, and three of them won championships.

While everyone named to this team is deserving, there is a chance that Simmons and/or Embiid could find their way on the team in the coming years.

The Embiid vs Wilt debate will turn into an interesting one if the former continues on his current path, and could add a championship or two, to his resume.

The next conversation would be what to do with Simmons.  Does he eventually take over Hal Greer's spot, moving Allen Iverson to the off-guard, a position he played in during the Sixers team that landed in the 2000 NBA Finals. Greer, a 10-time NBA All-Star and named to the All-NBA Second Team seven times has a tremendous resume, which includes a NBA title with the 1967 Sixers.

If both Embiid and Simmons work their way into this lineup, both will need to pile up the the individual accolades, but more likely it means the Sixers have won at least one NBA title.