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The true original Philadelphia 76ers were not located in Philadelphia nor were they called the 76ers. But the team begin in a northeastern city and had a patriotic name, the Syracuse Nationals. The Nats had been in the NBA since the league's first year of existence and came to the City of Brotherly Love in 1963, just after the Warriors abandoned Philadelphia for San Francisco. This marks the beginning of the 76ers, an organization that has had one of the best NBA teams ever to step onto the court (68-13 in 1966-67) and one of the worst to be blown off it (9-73 in 1972-73).

How the 76ers got their name:
The NBA franchise began in 1949, when six teams from the midwest-based National Basketball League joined the Basketball Association of America to form the 17 team National Basketball Association. One of those teams was the Syracuse Nationals, which became the 76ers. In the spring of 1963, the Syracuse Nationals were purchased by two Philadelpians, Irv Kosloff and Ike Richman, and the NBA approved the franchise shift on May 22. The franchise then held a contest to name the club and on August 6, 1963. The late Walt Stahlberg, of West Collingswood, New Jersey, won the contest, of which 500 different suggestions were entered. Stahlberg was one of several who picked the 76ers.

Retired Numbers:
The 76ers have retired the uniform numbers of seven of their greatest players and the microphone of legendary public address announcer Dave Zinkoff. Banners for all eight hang from the rafters of the First Union Center as a monument to their outstanding contributions to the Sixers.

76ers Hall of Fame:
Throughout the years there have been many outstanding players that have been a part of the 76ers. Many of those people brought something different to the team, but some excelled to such an extent that they became part of the Hall of Fame. Here is a list of the individuals that were inducted into the hall of fame, and in which year.