Here are the top five worst draft picks made in the long history of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Now that the Philadelphia 76ers officially have a selection in the 2022 NBA draft thanks to the Brooklyn Nets deferring the pick acquired in the James Harden trade to 2023, now is the time to look back at some draft history in Philadelphia.
Every team has some draft busts in their franchise’s history. There is just so much hope and potential for every draftee to succeed and become the player they’re expected to be, but sometimes it just does not happen.
The Sixers are no different as they have made a few draft picks that just did not work out and we’re here to rank the top five worst picks this team has made. With that being said, let’s get into the list:
The Dallas Mavericks shared some sad news on Wednesday afternoon when they sent out a release that stated former center Shawn Bradley was recently in a very serious biking accident that has left him paralyzed.
Bradley, the 7-foot-6 center who played college ball at BYU and was the the No. 2 pick by the 76ers in the 1993 NBA Draft, was biking in January when he was hit from behind by a car just a block from his house in St. George, Utah. He suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury and had neck fusion surgery.
Bradley spent the last eight and a half years of his career with the Mavs before retiring after the 2004-05 season.
The team released this statement:
The Dallas Mavericks have issued a press release on behalf of former Maverick Shawn Bradley as well as statements from Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson. pic.twitter.com/F9fCtlZ1zJ
Awful news – Shawn Bradley was riding a bike a block from his house when a car struck him from behind. The accident left him paralyzed, but Shawn is still thinking of others and told the Mavericks he wants to promote awareness & help prevent this from happening to others. pic.twitter.com/PjtQE55RhF
Many in the NBA world offered their support and prayers:
I just read the news about Shawn Bradley’s devastating injury. Such terrible news. Speaking for the entire Warriors organization, we send our thoughts and love to Shawn and his family.
Prayers for Shawn Bradley. A great family man, former teammate and played for us with the @dallasmavs Hoping for a speedy recovery. 🙏🏽 https://t.co/zQ3b8dsFg6
Nash, who played with Shawn Bradley with the Mavs for six years, said he only learned about the accident a few hours ago. “It’s obviously heartbreaking…he’s a fun-loving guy…and I hope he remains positive and has a lot of support.”
BYU Athletics offers its heartfelt sympathies to Shawn Bradley and his family. We were devastated to learn of Shawn’s injury and join with all of Cougar Nation in thoughts and prayers for the Bradley family during this difficult time. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/fKLAKZWLP4
Terrible news about former Mavs center Shawn Bradley. One of the nicest guys to come through here in my time with the Mavs. The Mavs have released this statement on his behalf about a recent automobile-bicycle accident that has left him paralyzed pic.twitter.com/m4kmv6PNbG
The Philadelphia 76ers drafted big man Shawn Bradley second overall in 1993.
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The Philadelphia 76ers finished up the 1992-93 season at 26-56 as they continued through the tough times of the ’90s. That poor season allowed them to have the second overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft and they had their eyes fixated on a big man out of BYU.
Philadelphia drafted 7-foot-6 Shawn Bradley hoping that he would be the one to lead them to the next era of Sixers basketball. Instead, he flopped as he was a solid scorer, but he did not rebound well enough and he did get pushed around a bit and his time in Philadelphia was short.
He was traded to the then-New Jersey Nets in 1995 in the deal that brought Derrick Coleman to Philadelphia after averaging 9.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks for the Sixers. Bradley was drafted ahead of stars such as Penny Hardaway, Jamal Mashburn, and Allan Houston in that draft.
Bradley was then traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1996 and he spent the final nine seasons of his career in Dallas. He averaged 7.0 points and 5.7 rebounds with the Mavericks before retiring in 2005. He was just not able to fulfill his draft position and he is considered as a big bust of the ’90s. [lawrence-related id=38347,38341,38338]
The Philadelphia 76ers selection of Shawn Bradley in 1993 is seen as a huge bust.
The Philadelphia 76ers had a tough time during the decade of the 1990s and it was compounded when they made a very big mistake in the 1993 draft.
Holding the number 2 pick in that draft, they had an opportunity to select a superstar and turn their fortunes around. There were plenty of big names on the board such as Penny Hardaway, Jamal Mashburn, and Allan Houston who all went on to have very good NBA careers.
Instead, the Sixers chose 7-foot-6 Shawn Bradley out of BYU hoping that his height would make a difference in the league. He lasted 2.5 seasons in Philadelphia averaging 9.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks before being sent to the New Jersey Nets for Derrick Coleman.
In a list done by Bleacher Report, they ranked Bradley as the second-worst bust just behind the Indiana Pacers selecting Jonathan Bender.
B/R on Bradley:
As a sophomore, Penny Hardaway averaged 22.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.4 assists as a 6’7″ point guard at Memphis. But rather than take him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1993 draft, the Philadelphia 76ers instead chose to roll the dice on the 7’6″ Shawn Bradley.
Bradley was polarizing out of BYU since he had unique height, no physical definition and averaged 5.2 blocks per game. While he continued to block shots in the NBA, he never blossomed into the scorer or impact player that comes with the expectations of a No. 2 overall pick.
Hardaway, of course, went third overall to the Orlando Magic and he went on to make four All-Star games with Orlando and he led the Magic to the NBA Finals in 1995. Hardaway would have been a nice addition to the Sixers and he would have helped them come out out of the doldrums they were in. Instead, Bradley flamed out in Philadelphia. [lawrence-related id=37507,37503,37490]
The Brooklyn Nets have a pair of talented centers in Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan. Does either rank among the franchise’ five best ever?
When the New York Nets joined the NBA after winning the 1976 ABA Finals, centers were anchored to the paint. Now it’s common to see big men pull up from long-range nightly.
Though, that’s not necessarily the case with Brooklyn’s big men. Jarrett Allen can defend centers and power forwards who are able to stretch the floor, but The Fro isn’t pulled from deep — not yet at least. DeAndre Jordan certainly isn’t.
How the two will coexist in Brooklyn is up in the air, given Jordan’s relationship with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and how similar the centers’ games are. But if the Nets go on to win a title with the two superstars in town, one or both centers could earn a spot among the franchise’s best bigs ever.
Having already gone through the Nets’ point guards, shooting guards, small forwards and power forwards, Nets Wire determined who are the best five centers in the franchise’s history through the novel coronavirus-induced NBA hiatus.
5. Jayson Williams
Credit: Getty Images
Nets Stats: 8.3 PPG | 8.9 RPG
Williams had a checkered career, and it took time for him to earn a major role in the Nets lineup.
After averaging 13.1 minutes per game in his 75 appearances for New Jersey throughout 1994-95, Williams saw his role off the bench increase the next season. The same thing happened from 1995-96 to 1996-97, earning a starting spot. However, he only played in 41 games.
The 1997-98 season was Williams’ best, earning his one NBA All-Star nod as he averaged 12.9 points and 13.6 rebounds per game. The Nets also snapped their three-year playoff drought this season.
We now take a look back at the history of bad draft picks made by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Every team has some draft busts in their franchise’s history. There is just so much hope and potential for every draftee to succeed and become the player they’re expected to be, but sometimes it just does not happen.
The Philadelphia 76ers are no different as they have made a few draft picks that just did not work out and we’re here to rank the top five worst picks this team has made.
In case you missed it, don’t forget to check out the list of the top five worst trades the team has ever made. With that said, let’s get into this list!
Chris Childs put on quite the performance against Michael Jordan and the Bulls on March 16, 1996. But the New Jersey Nets took the loss.
With the NBA going on hiatus — which NBA commissioner Adam Silver set as at least 30 days on Thursday — and New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, placing a ban on gatherings of more than 500 people for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, no Brooklyn Nets games will be played for the time being.
For the Nets, as much as any team, this comes at an odd time — Brooklyn was battling the Orlando Magic for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings. At the stoppage of play, the Nets had a half-game advantage over the Magic.
Since there aren’t any games, each day Nets Wire will highlight major individual performances and key developments throughout Nets history:
Even though the New Jersey Nets lost 97-93 to the Chicago Bulls (full box score), March 16, 1996 was a big day for Chris Childs. The second-year point logged his first NBA triple-double, finishing with 18 points on 6-for-17 shooting (2-for-5 from deep), 14 assists and 10 rebounds.
Shawn Bradley had a double-double (17 points and 12 rebounds) and Armen Gilliam led the Nets with 21 points.
But Michael Jordan was too much for the Nets to handle — on both ends of the floor. The legend scored 37 points and had 16 rebounds. Jordan also dished out five assists, blocked three shots and had one steal.
Among the other Bulls players to finish in double-figures was Steve Kerr (10 points), who went on to coach Kevin Durant while the now-Brooklyn Nets forward was with the Golden State Warriors.
Shawn Bradley spent parts of two seasons with the Nets, but never a full one. But he put up some big numbers when he was in New Jersey.
With the NBA going on hiatus — which NBA commissioner Adam Silver set as at least 30 days on Thursday — and New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, placing a ban on gatherings of more than 500 people for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, no Brooklyn Nets games will be played for the time being.
For the Nets, as much as any team, this comes at an odd time — Brooklyn was battling the Orlando Magic for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings. At the stoppage of play, the Nets had a half-game advantage over the Magic.
Since there aren’t any games, each day Nets Wire will highlight major individual performances and key developments throughout Nets history:
Shawn Bradley wore a Nets jersey in 107 of the 832 NBA games he played in, but he never spent a full season in New Jersey. The center joined the team in the middle of 1995-96 and was shipped to Dallas mid-1996-97.
But the big man had some of his best days while with the Nets, including New Jersey’s game against the Washington Bullets on March 14, 1996 (full box score).
Now, the Nets lost 100-92 at home, but Bradley found a way to entertain fans.
After blocking 10 shots for the first time in his NBA career two nights before, Bradley blocked 11 of Washington’s shots. In the process, he logged his first career triple-double, finishing with 19 points and 17 rebounds (nine offensive).
Armen Gilliam led the Nets with 20 points in the loss, and he also grabbed 13 boards. P.J. Brown finished one rebound shy of a double-double, scoring 17 points. Vern Fleming scores 14 points off the bench.
For the Bullets, second-year big man Juwan Howard led all scorers with 25 points. The 1996 All-Star — the only year he received the honor — also had nine rebounds. Washington rookie Rasheed Wallace scored 11 points.
Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard could move past former Detroit Pistons big man Ben Wallace for 13th on the NBA’s all-time blocks list by end of year.
Dwight Howard blocked two shots in 18 minutes during the Los Angeles Lakers 129-113 win over the Sacramento Kings. In doing so, he increased his career total to 2,120 blocks and moved past Shawn Bradley to occupy the 14th spot on the NBA’s all-time blocks list. At a rate of 1.4 rejections per game, Howard should move past Ben Wallace (2,137) for 13th on the all-time list by the end of this season.
In order to catch Marcus Camby (2,331) for No. 12 on this list–and then Robert Parish (2,361) to move into the top-10–it will require a bit more longevity. At Howard’s current rate of 1.4 blocks per contest, he would need just under two healthy seasons to move into the top-12 and just over two seasons to pass Parish and move into the top-10.
After the resurgence we’ve seen from Dwight this year in Los Angeles it’s certainly not impossible to think that he could eventually finish his career among the top-10 all-time in rejections. That would mean he would continue to defend the rim at his current pace for two more seasons, or as a 36-year-old veteran in his 18th professional year.
In 48 appearances alongside LeBron James and his Lakers teammates this season, Howard is averaging 7.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 19.9 minutes. His high-game in terms of blocks is five which he accomplished twice against both the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons in early January. Next up for Dwight and the Lakers is a home date with the San Antonio Spurs tonight at Staples Center.
