Here is a list of every player in the history of the Philadelphia 76ers who has worn the No. 43 uniform.
It’s summertime in the NBA, so now is the time to learn some history. The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the older franchises in the NBA with their history dating to the 1949-50 season.
With that longevity, they have had hundreds of players come through the City of Brotherly Love. Sixers Wire looks at the No. 43, which has been worn by four of those players in franchise history.
This running series will go through all of the uniform numbers worn in franchise history. The previous edition of this series was a list compiling the 12 players who have worn the No. 44.
Here is the list of those four players who have worn No. 43 in Sixers history:
The NBA will allow teams to sign a replacement player if there’s an injury, a positive COVID-19 test or a player who chooses to sit out.
As the NBA prepares to resume the 2019-20 season in July, more details about the league’s plan are coming to light. In the event of an injury or a positive COVID-19 test during training camp or the regular season, teams will be able to sign replacement players from the free-agent pool.
The NBA will allow each team to bring 17 players (including their two-way guys) to Disney’s Wide World of Sports. There won’t be a limit on how many replacement players a team can sign, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Once the playoffs start on August 17, teams won’t be able to add any replacement players.
Every night, players will be tested for COVID-19; if a player tests positive, they must self-quarantine for 10-14 days while their team continues playing.
Not only will replacement players be necessary in the event of positive tests, they also could be called upon if a player is injured. Most teams will arrive in Orlando healthier than usual at this point in the season thanks to the four-month break, but a number of trainers and players have expressed concern that there could be more injuries than usual when the season resumes. After all, players have been working out on their own since mid-March and it’s hard to mimic game movements and intensity while training alone. Ramping back up slowly with a training camp (and potentially two or three exhibition games) should help, but there’s still increased injury risk.
Because this is an unprecedented situation, people around the NBA have no idea how teams will approach this transaction window and how many replacement players will be signed.
“I’m not sure if teams will rush to sign guys,” an agent said. “NBA rosters are already the biggest of any major sport in terms of the ratio of players on the roster to players on the court/field,” the agent explained. “In the NBA, it’s 15:5 (or 3:1) whereas it’s 25:9 (or 2.8:1) in MLB and 53:22 (or 2.4:1) in the NFL. And that doesn’t even include two-way players. I’m sure every team is aware of all the available G League guys and free agents. But in the playoffs, most rotations shrink to nine or 10 guys anyway. So, if you have 15 players, you should have five extra guys.”
“I’m curious to see if teams will sign free agents,” one Western Conference executive added. “I have no idea what will happen. At the end of the day, we’re just talking about a 15th man most likely, right?”
One Eastern Conference general manager pointed out that some teams may not consider signing replacement players at all, even if there is an injury or a positive COVID-19 test. Since a replacement player would have to quarantine for 10-14 days before playing, the team’s injured or sick player may be close to returning by the time the replacement player is finally able to take the court.
“I think as long as a team doesn’t have multiple players who get sick at the same time, they won’t sign anyone,” the general manager said. “I think most teams will just wait for their sick player to return.”
Some NBA teams with an open roster spot may decide to sign a free agent prior to arriving in Orlando rather than waiting until an injury or positive test occurs to address their depth. Technically, this player wouldn’t be a “replacement player,” but he’d be stashed on their roster in case of emergency. This would allow the player to go through training camp with the team as well as the initial quarantine period in Orlando. Then, if there is an injury or positive test, he would be able to play right away rather than having to quarantine for 10-14 days upon arrival like a replacement player would have to do.
Recently, there’s been a lot of discussion about how some players may choose not to play when the season resumes in Orlando. In recent weeks, a number of executives brought up this possibility and openly wondered what would happen if their players sit out because they didn’t want to be in the bubble for months and risk their health. Now, some players are also concerned that resuming play would shift the public’s focus away from the Black Lives Matter movement.
While it’s possible that enough NBA players speaking up would force the NBPA to back out of the plan to resume play, it seems more likely that the NBA will just allow each player to make their own decision when it comes to participating. If a player chooses to sit out, their team will resume play without them. These players wouldn’t face any consequences (aside from not being paid) and NBA teams would be allowed to sign a replacement player to take their place, according to a recent article by Wojnarowski.
There’s also some concern that players on fringe playoff teams will opt to play, but then want to leave the bubble or sit out as soon as their team is mathematically eliminated from the postseason. Players won’t want to put their health at risk and stay in the bubble if they aren’t playing for something. Some players (such as Damian Lillard) have already said that they wouldn’t risk their health to participate in meaningless games, and who could blame them?
“I feel like the eighth seed and the ninth seed could partially be determined by whose schedule sets them up against teams who are ‘tanking’ at the end,” said one Western Conference executive.
DeMarcus Cousins is one of the free agents who’s eligible to be signed. (Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)
Interestingly, not all free agents are eligible to be signed as replacement players.
In order to be eligible, a player had to be on an NBA or G League roster this season or last season. Players who were overseas as of March 11, 2020 (when the NBA season was suspended) are not eligible to be signed, which rules out some notable free agents such as Lance Stephenson, Donatas Motiejunas, Greg Monroe and Miles Plumlee. If a player started the season overseas but got a FIBA clearance before March 11, they are eligible to be signed as long as they were on an NBA or G League roster in 2019-20 or 2018-19 (like Willie Reed, for example, who was in Greece to start the season but then got his FIBA clearance and signed with a G League team).
There are plenty of of notable free agents and former G League players who are eligible to be signed including DeMarcus Cousins, Isaiah Thomas, Darren Collison, Jamal Crawford, Iman Shumpert, JR Smith, Nik Stauskas, Kenneth Faried, Tyler Zeller, Jerian Grant, Corey Brewer, Tyler Johnson, Jodie Meeks, Michael Beasley, Nick Young, Trey Burke, Allen Crabbe, Jordan Bell, Justin Anderson, Tim Frazier, Tyrone Wallace, Ivan Rabb, Jarrod Uthoff, Amile Jefferson, Jonah Bolden, Tyler Ennis, Josh Magette, JP Macura, Ryan Broekhoff and Yante Maten among others.
While it’ll be interesting to see how the 22 NBA teams in the bubble utilize the replacement players, the eight teams who aren’t resuming play will be allowed to sign players during this transaction window too. Don’t be surprised if some of these teams take advantage of this opportunity to add a free agent and acquire their Bird rights.
“I would be on the lookout for a smart non-bubble team to add someone during the transaction window,” one NBA agent said. “Any team can sign guys from that same pool of talent and, I assume, pay guys the same pro-rated amount.”
In Wojnarowski’s article about replacement players, he confirmed that “the eight teams left out of the Orlando resumption are allowed to waive or sign players during the transaction window,” although “they cannot sign a player to a two-way contract.”
It’s worth noting that a lot of these details are still being worked out and nothing is official as of yet. Several agents and executives pointed out that they’re receiving these updates through social media, just like the rest of us, and awaiting further instruction from the league or NBPA.
Former Philadelphia 76ers big man Jonah Bolden will sign a 10-day deal with the Phoenix Suns.
It can be hard to pick up the pieces after you’re waived midseason, but for former Philadelphia 76ers big man Jonah Bolden, he’s doing that very nicely.
Bolden will be joining former Sixers assistant, now Suns head coach, Monty Williams out in the Valley of the Sun. Maybe Bolden can revive his career a bit out in Phoenix.
The Phoenix Suns are signing former 76ers forward/center Jonah Bolden to a 10-day contract, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA@Stadium.
Bolden has a lot of talent, but he fell out of favor this season. Not only was Joel Embiid already ahead of him, the Sixers then brought in Al Horford and Kyle O’Quinn to take more time from him. Then, Pelle was outplaying him in short minutes so it became clear that he was going to be the odd man out. [lawrence-related id=25657,25645,25631]
The Philadelphia 76ers will convert Norvel Pelle and waive Jonah Bolden in the process.
The Philadelphia 76ers are putting the finishing touches on a roster that they hope will make a serious run at an NBA championship. After acquiring Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III to add to some shooting and scoring from their bench, they will now add another defensive big man to their roster.
The Sixers will convert Norvel Pelle from a two-way contract to an NBA deal and will waive Jonah Bolden to make room for him. Pelle averaged 2.5 points and 3.6 rebounds while blocking 1.5 shots per game in 14 games with Philadelphia. His rim protection is something that interests the Sixers and it will help them defensively.
The #sixers are waiving Jonah Bolden and signing Norvel Pelle to an NBA contract, per source. Pelle, 27, made 14 appearances for the Sixers this season under a two-way contract, averaging 2.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 11.6 minutes per game.
Bolden, on the other hand, had a tough season for the Sixers. He played in only four games and averaged 1.0 points per game as he has trouble just getting onto the floor for Philadelphia. He was not going to play much on this roster.
As for Pelle, he will now have the opportunity to become a fixture on the Sixers roster and provide rim protection off the bench. His athleticism is going to be a nice welcome off the team’s bench.
Philadelphia returns home to host the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. [lawrence-related id=25136,25147,25125]
With Joel Embiid out, the Philadelphia 76ers have plenty of options to turn to at the center spot.
The Philadelphia 76ers were prepared for this. For the instance that big man Joel Embiid would be sidelined for an extended time, they made the moves necessary in the offseason to be ready for it.
That very moment has arisen as Embiid will be re-evaluated in a week or two following surgery on Friday to repair a torn ligament in his left hand. They will be missing his 23.4 points and 12.3 rebounds per game output, but they have plenty of options to hold down the fort until he returns.
Al Horford
This is it. This is Al Horford’s time to shine. The main reason they brought him in quickly in free agency was for this exact moment. Horford is insurance for Embiid and now the Sixers will run an offense centered around their new center for the time being. He had 17 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in Thursday’s win over the Boston Celtics and coach Brett Brown will feature him much more going forward.
“Probably to feature him more,” Brown said on Horford’s new role. “I don’t pay much attention, but with the questions I get asked, I think people have to understand in that old world as of 24 hours ago with Joel, he’s not featured as much. It’s part of being on a good team and he accepts that.”
Horford will now be able to get back to a position he is more comfortable at and the team will be able to run things just fine without him.
Norvel Pelle
Pelle will now get ample opportunity to be the backup big man and it will give him a chance to give the Sixers a reason to convert his contract to a fully guaranteed one as he is still on a two-way deal. He had six points, four rebounds, and two blocks against the Celtics on Thursday and his rim protection is what interests Brown.
“He’s far more of a rim protector,” he said. “Really excellent back and trying to read things, obviously doesn’t have the experience that Kyle (O’Quinn) has, but is kind of built out of Nerlens, Capela type flyer mode.”
There will be nights when Pelle is overwhelmed with things, but he has proven capable of being trusted out there for stretches at a time.
Kyle O’Quinn
O’Quinn has not played much yet with the Sixers due to the presence of Embiid and Horford combined with the emergence of Pelle, but he will be a factor in this time with the big fella sidelined. He’s a veteran player who stays ready when called upon and Brown has him in mind when thinking of who his center will be.
“He hasn’t come in here and played that much basketball for us to date and he still is like a personality and a spirit in the locker room, on a plane, on a bus. I think he’s incredible,” said Brown. “I love him on this team. He can make a shot, he’s an excellent passer, he probably would be more of an aggressive pick-and-roll guy than he would drop.”
O’Quinn has made six of 18 attempts from deep on the season, good for 33.3%.
Jonah Bolden
Yes, Bolden will also get a look during the time period with Embiid out. He has spent the majority of the season in the G League, but he will be called up and he will have an opportunity to play.
“You look out on to the floor and you’re going to see Jonah Bolden come into the team,” said Brown on Thursday. “There are things that we can do with other players, but I do think that it’s still there.”
Bolden is averaging 11.6 points and 6.9 rebounds with the Delaware Blue Coats and is shooting 35.6% from deep so he offers something different. He can be energetic on either end while also being able to knock down a shot.
Other options
Another option has been Ben Simmons as he played some center minutes on Thursday. The point guard is 6-foot-10 so that gives Brown another option who is so versatile and he can be used all over the lineup. He is like the ultimate chess piece. Another option includes Mike Scott and using his physicality and quickness at that spot. However, that probably won’t be an option for the long haul. [lawrence-related id=23247,23260,23238]
The Philadelphia 76ers will send Zhaire Smith and Jonah Bolden back down to the Delaware Blue Coats.
While the Philadelphia 76ers continue to try and fix their issues on the court at the NBA level, they will send their younger players back down to their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats in order to continue their development.
After calling up second-year players Zhaire Smith and Jonah Bolden before their matchup with the Toronto Raptors, the Sixers will now send the two youngsters back down to Delaware. The Blue Coats will play their next game on Friday when they host the Winchester Knicks, the same night the Sixers are on the road to face the New York Knicks.
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We have assigned Jonah Bolden and Zhaire Smith to the @blue_coats.
The Sixers probably brought Smith and Bolden up to Toronto to have them experience that level of competition and have them see what it will take to win in this league considering Toronto is the defending champions right now. Both players were with the team during the playoff run in 2019 despite not getting too much playing time. All of that experience is good for their development. [lawrence-related id=20093,20085,20074]
Zhaire Smith and Jonah Bolden will get some time with the Sixers as the Blue Coats have a lull in their schedule.
The Philadelphia 76ers will be joined by a pair of fresh, albeit familiar, faces on their trip to Toronto.
The team has recalled Zhaire Smith and Jonah Bolden from the Delaware Blue Coats, and that duo will travel with the team to Toronto for Monday night’s game against the Raptors, the Athletic’s Derek Bodner reports.
Smith, who is trying to bounce back from a difficult rookie season that was derailed by a foot injury and subsequent infection, struggled to carve out a spot in the rotation early in the season and was sent to Delaware where he could get consistent playing time and continue his development. Likewise, the additions of Al Horford and Kyle O’Quinn caused Bolden to see his already small role reduced further and was assigned to the Blue Coats.
The #sixers will be recalling Jonah Bolden and Zhaire Smith to join them on their trip to Toronto. The Blue Coats don't play again until Friday, so Smith and Bolden can get some practice time in with the main club.
As Bodner notes, the Blue Coats don’t have a game until Friday, so there is an opportunity to get Smith and Bolden some practice with the big club.
In addition to practicing with the Sixers, it will be interesting to see if either player gets any game minutes before returning to Delaware. That seems unlikely in a tough matchup with Toronto on Monday, but perhaps Wednesday against the Kings will produce an opportunity.
At the very least, it will be good for Smith and Bolden to get some time with the big club as they attempt to become regular contributors for the Sixers. [lawrence-related id=18783,18777,18005,19331]
Philadelphia 76ers two-way player Norvel Pelle leads the Delaware Blue Coats to a win.
The Philadelphia 76ers have bigger plans on the basketball court, but there is still time for the development of the youngsters. On Thursday, the team’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, got back in action and they knocked off the College Park Skyhawks 120-112 on the road.
Norvel Pelle led Delaware with 23 points on 10-for-12 shooting and he pulled down nine rebounds, Jonah Bolden had 18 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists, and Zhaire Smith had nine points, two rebounds, and twp steals while also making a triple. Bolden and Smith are on assignment from the Sixers and their development is still important for Philadelphia moving forward.
Pelle is on a two-way contract and if he continues to keep his strong play, then he could play his way into a call up with the Sixers. His strong play around the rim on both ends of the floor could earn him an opportunity sooner rather than later.
The Blue Coats were missing G League Player of the Week Marial Shayok with an injury, but it is not considered serious and he is day-to-day. Delaware plays next on Saturday against the Wisconsin Herd. [lawrence-related id=19823,19822,19474]
Young Philadelphia 76ers prospects struggle a bit for the Delaware Blue Coats.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, is used for the development of players who don’t get much time at the NBA level. That’s why the likes Jonah Bolden, Shake Milton, Zhaire Smith, and others are with the Blue Coats right now.
On Tuesday night, the Sixers young prospects had a rough go at it in the Blue Coats 125-105 loss to the Capital City Go-Go. Norvel Pelle, one of the team’s two-way contract players, led Delaware with 18 points and 15 rebounds and Smith had 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting, but the good news stops there.
Milton, who was playing solid basketball with the Sixers before his injury, struggled as he scored only eight points on 2-for-10 shooting and Bolden only had four points on 2-for-7 shooting. It was expected that Pelle and Milton would be able to run things well for Delaware considering their success together in 2018-19, but that was not the case.
Sixers two way player Norvel Pelle, warms up prior to tonight’s game. Expect to see him quite a bit paired with Shake Milton. The two had success last season in Delaware. pic.twitter.com/QmMHbRba4Q
Meanwhile, G League player of the week Marial Shayok had his first rough game of the season as he shot 6-for-16 for 13 points and five turnovers. Nights like this will happen down in the G League. It’s all about development and growth as a team. The youngsters will have to grow from this. [lawrence-related id=19638,19630,19605]
Young Philadelphia 76ers players Jonah Bolden and Marial Shayok have some impressive games in a win.
As the Philadelphia 76ers were busy taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, their G League affiliate was busy as well. The Delaware Blue Coats were on the road taking on the Long Island Nets and they received some good play from a couple of Sixers on assignment.
Jonah Bolde, who was assigned to the Blue Coats on Wednesday, led the way with 34 points and nine rebounds and rookie Marial Shayok continued his strong play by scoring 29 points and 13 rebounds in a 152-137 win as Delaware improved to 2-1 on the season. Zhaire Smith did not play in this one due to knee soreness.
Bolden drilled five of his nine attempts from distance and he was 12-for-18 from the floor overall and Shayok continues to show off a nice offensive game that can help the Sixers in the future.
This was the first night of a back-to-back for Delaware as they return home on Saturday to face the Canton Charge. It will be interesting to see how Shayok handles a back-to-back type of game here in his rookie season. [lawrence-related id=19324,19315,19309]
