The NBA season is on hold right now, so now is the time for rankings in the history of the game. ESPN has been releasing the top 74 players in league history and Tuesday was players ranked 40-11 before they release the top 10 later this week.
Four Philadelphia 76ers legends popped up on this edition started by Allen Iverson who was ranked 29th in the history of the game:
Often labeled the best pound-for-pound player in NBA history, Iverson was an icon. The 6-foot point guard led the league in scoring four times and capped off a magical MVP campaign in 2000-01 with the Sixers by leading them to the Finals in just his fifth year in the league. His 48 points in Game 1 to beat the Shaq-Kobe Lakers in overtime will forever be the NBA’s David and Goliath moment.
Followed by Iverson was the great Charles Barkley who was ranked 23rd on the list:
The Hall of Fame forward carved out a niche on the floor by being a double-double machine. Barkley earned the 1992-93 MVP award while leading Phoenix to the NBA Finals, and he won gold medals for Team USA in ’92 and ’96 Olympics. He won the rebounding title for Philadelphia in 1986-87, despite generously being listed at 6-6. Off the floor, the affable Barkley became arguably the most popular basketball analyst ever while working for TNT’s “Inside the NBA.”
We then moved into the top 20 and spotted the man who won the Finals MVP award for the last Sixers team in 1983, Moses Malone:
Malone was one of the original preps-to-pros players, joining the ABA as a teenager. He was a dominant scorer and rebounder who was peerless on the offensive glass, averaging 6.1 offensive boards during an eight-year span where he led the NBA in boards six times. Malone was a three-time NBA MVP, including in the 1982-83 season, when he also was Finals MVP for the Sixers and won his only championship ring.
Topping this portion of the list was the face of the franchise, Julius Erving, who came in ranked 15th in NBA history:
As the premier above-the-rim player of his era, Dr. J’s legend would probably be even greater had he not spent the first five years of his career in the ABA. Erving was named NBA MVP in 1981 and won the championship in 1983 — who could forget his “rock the baby” dunk against the Lakers that season, serving as a prelude to his Finals win? His career NBA averages of 22 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks tell the story of his all-around game.
There is no denying that the Sixers have had some great talents and they have not even ranked Wilt Chamberlain yet. The only possible issue is that Iverson could have been ranked higher, but nonetheless, 29 is a solid ranking. [lawrence-related id=30882,30872,30863]