With the NBA in an indefinite hiatus due to COVID-19, we continue our day-by-day look back at the history of the Philadelphia 76ers. We continue down our path into Sixers history every day as we look to fill the void left by the absence of basketball.
On this day in 2001, the Sixers were honoring Charles Barkley by retiring his legendary number 34 jersey with a matchup with the Golden State Warriors. A night such as this one gives the team a little more motivation to get the job done and play well in front of a franchise great. That’s all that Allen Iverson needed to beat the Golden State Warriors.
March 30, 2001
The Sixers entered this game just one win away from the 50-win mark so they already had a lot of motivation, to begin with. The Sixers were pushing towards the playoffs and they were red hot and Iverson and the team were ready to make Barkley proud.
The 6-foot guard from Georgetown put on a show. He had 35 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, and four steals and he even had two blocks in a 102-89 win over the Warriors at home. He shot 14-for-26 from the floor and drilled three of his eight attempts from deep.
It was a night that Barkley will never forget as he told reporters after he watched his jersey go into the rafters:
This is the greatest night of my life and I’m so glad to be sharing it here. Philadelphia will always be a special place for me. It’s where my career started and where it ended.
What made the night even more special that it was the first time the Sixers had won 50 games in a season since the 1989-90 season led by Barkley. [lawrence-related id=28499,28493,28481]