NBA draft rewind: Sixers select Nikola Vucevic No. 16 overall in 2011

The Philadelphia 76ers selected USC big man Nikola Vucevic with the No. 16 pick in the 2011 NBA draft.

With the 2024 NBA draft approaching quickly–Round 1 of the draft is set for June 26–now is the time to look back at some of the previous draft picks the Philadelphia 76ers have made in recent years.

The Sixers entered the 2011 NBA draft looking to continue to add to their crop of talent. Philadelphia made a run to the playoffs in the 2010-11 season before coming up short to the Miami Heat in Round 1 in five games.

With the 16th pick in the draft, the Sixers went big. They selected Nikola Vucevic out of USC who was a skilled big man who could do it all. In his only season in Philadelphia, Vucevic averaged 5.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks while shooting 45% from the floor. He played in 51 games, starting 15 of them.

In the 2012 offseason, Vucevic was traded to the Orlando Magic in the big Andrew Bynum 4-team blockbuster deal. He blossomed into an All-Star in his nine seasons with the Magic and is now with the Chicago Bulls who acquired him in 2021.

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