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The Philadelphia 76ers were coming off a disappointing 1984 season where they fell in a hard-fought series in Round 1 to the then-New Jersey Nets one year after winning the title in 1983. It was clear that they needed a bit of help to get back on track.
Thanks to a trade made with the then-San Diego clippers back in 1978, the Sixers held the 5th pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. The draft was a star-studded one led by Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon, but there was one guy out of Auburn that fell into Philadelphia’s lap at number 5.
The Sixers selected Charles Barkley and he immediately became a star. He averaged 14 points and 8.6 rebounds as a rookie as he did not blink while playing next to Julius Erving and Moses Malone. That then gave the franchise the confidence that they had their guy to lead the team into the next era. He became an All-Star in 1987 and he was a consistent 20 points per game scorer and he finished his Sixers career averaging 22.3 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.7 steals.
The Sixers then pulled one of the more questionable moves in franchise history when they traded Barkley to the Phoenix Suns in 1992 for Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang, and Tim Perry. Philadelphia entered a bleak time in their franchise while Barkley immediately won MVP and he led the Suns to the NBA Finals. It is a trade that is not looked back on fondly by the Sixers and their fans.
Barkley would go on to have four seasons for the Suns before being traded to the Houston Rockets in 1996. He played another four seasons in Houston before retiring in 2000. [lawrence-related id=38430,38427,38421]