1972–73 Philadelphia 76ers season
| Industry | Professional basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 8, 1946 |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
| Products | Basketball team |
| Website | www |
The 1972–73 Philadelphia 76ers season represented the franchise's 24th campaign in the NBA and its tenth year based in Philadelphia. After concluding the prior season with a 30–52 record, the team began this season with a 15-game losing streak and later suffered a then-record 20 consecutive losses within a single season (a mark later exceeded by the 2023–24 Detroit Pistons).
Following this 20-game losing stretch, the Sixers held a dismal 4–58 record, having been defeated in 34 of their previous 35 contests. The team closed the year with a franchise-worst 9–73 tally, earning the disparaging nickname "Nine and 73-ers" from local Philadelphia press. They finished an unprecedented 59 games behind the Atlantic Division champions, the Boston Celtics, setting an NBA record for largest gap. Their nine victories rank as the fourth lowest total in league history, trailing only the Providence Steamrollers (6 wins in 1947–48), Charlotte Bobcats (7 wins during the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season), Vancouver Grizzlies (8 wins in the lockout-shortened 1998–99 campaign), and tied with the Los Angeles Clippers (8 wins that same lockout year).
The 73 losses remain the highest number of defeats recorded by any NBA team in a full 82-game, non-lockout season, narrowly surpassed in loss totals—but not winning percentage—by the Bobcats’ abbreviated schedule. The Sixers’ winning percentage of .110 stood as an NBA low until it was eclipsed by Charlotte’s .106 mark in 2011–12. Their point differential per game of −12.1 ranks among the worst ever, exceeded only by the Bobcats (−13.9) and the 1992–93 Mavericks (−15.2). Remarkably, just six seasons earlier, Philadelphia held NBA records for both most wins and highest winning percentage.
Offseason
The Sixers’ ownership pursued coaching candidates including Al McGuire, then coaching at Marquette University, and former Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp, who was seventy years old at the time; both declined offers. Only veteran Hal Greer remained from the squad that won the NBA Championship in 1966–67. The 1972–73 campaign would be his final NBA season.
1972 NBA draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Fred Boyd | G | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Oregon State |
| 3 | Charlie Tharpe | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Belhaven | ||
| 4 | Marshall Wingate | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Niagara | ||
| 5 | Joe Bynes | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Arkansas AM&N | ||
| 6 | John Glover | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Wiley |
Season
By the onset of the 1972–73 campaign, most of the championship-winning core from 1966–67 had departed. Head coach Jack Ramsay left to join the Buffalo Braves, while All-Star forward Billy Cunningham transitioned to the ABA following a legal ruling. Only seasoned veteran Hal Greer, then aged 36, remained on the roster. A series of unsuccessful trades and draft selections had depleted talent depth across the squad.
After finishing last season at 30–52, Philadelphia struggled to secure a head coach and ultimately appointed Roy Rubin, a college coach without professional experience, after advertising in The Philadelphia Inquirer. The roster featured players such as Manny Leaks, Jeff Halliburton, Mike Price, John Q. Trapp, and Dave Sorenson.
The Sixers stumbled out of the gate with an 0–15 start and endured a brutal 20-game losing streak. Players openly criticized Rubin’s ineffective coaching methods; after beginning with a dismal 4–47 record under his leadership, Rubin was replaced by player-coach Kevin Loughery. Under Loughery’s guidance, performance improved modestly to a 5–26 record (.161 winning percentage) compared to Rubin’s .078.
Philadelphia secured its initial victory against Houston (114–112), coinciding with an injury to Rubin himself during that game. Leading contributors included Fred Carter (averaging 20 points per game), Tom Van Arsdale (17.7 points), and Leroy Ellis (13.7 points and 10.8 rebounds per contest).
Despite setting historically poor performance benchmarks—standing at just 4–58 by mid-February—the team rallied to win five out of their subsequent seven games, including triumphs over elite squads such as the Baltimore Bullets, the dominant 60-win Milwaukee Bucks, and eventual NBA champions New York Knicks. This brief resurgence brought their record to 9–60 before concluding with a final thirteen-game losing streak that sealed their overall mark at 9–73. This established a new NBA low for victories during an entire 82-game schedule, surpassing the previous low of fifteen wins.
Factors behind the downfall
Approximately two and a half months following Philadelphia's defeat to the Boston Celtics in the 1968 NBA Playoffs, Wilt Chamberlain was exchanged to the Los Angeles Lakers in return for Darrall Imhoff, Archie Clark, and Jerry Chambers.
This transaction originated from a conflict between Sixers proprietors Ike Richman and Irv Kosloff. Chamberlain asserted that Richman had promised him a share of ownership; however, after Richman's passing, Kosloff declined to honor that commitment. Discontented, Chamberlain requested a trade to Los Angeles. Although general manager Jack Ramsay preferred trading Chamberlain over losing him without compensation, the Sixers' return was modest.
After the 1967–68 campaign, head coach Alex Hannum departed for the ABA, prompting Ramsay to take on coaching responsibilities. His strategy was to develop a smaller, quicker squad centered on Clark, Imhoff, and Chambers, but this approach did not succeed. Imhoff remained for two seasons, Clark for three, and Chambers never appeared for Philadelphia post his military service. Injuries also hindered promising players like Luke Jackson. Furthermore, the Sixers traded their star player Chet Walker for role player Jim Washington.
The franchise's draft selections from 1967 through 1972—including Craig Raymond, Shaler Halimon, and Fred Boyd—did not strengthen the team. Additionally, they overlooked future standout talents such as Nate Archibald and Calvin Murphy. Ramsay’s initial 55-win season in 1968–69 progressively deteriorated, culminating in a 30-win record in 1971–72—the first time the franchise missed the playoffs since relocating from Syracuse.
Game log
|-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" | 1 || October 10 || @ Chicago Bulls || 89–95 || Chicago Stadium || 0–1 |-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" | 2 || October 11 || Seattle SuperSonics || 100–105 || Philadelphia Spectrum || 0–2 |-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" | 3 || October 13 || Buffalo Braves || 101–104 || Philadelphia Spectrum || 0–3 |-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" | 4 || October 17 || @ Buffalo Braves || 114–122 || Buffalo Memorial Auditorium || 0–4 |-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" | 5 || October 21 || @ New York Knicks || 88–111 || Madison Square Garden || 0–5 |-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" | 6 || October 23 || @ Boston Celtics || 85–105 || Boston Garden || 0–6 |-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" | 7 || October 25 || Cleveland Cavaliers || 108–113 || Philadelphia Spectrum || 0–7 |-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" | 8 || October 28 || Milwaukee Bucks || 92–96 || Philadelphia Spectrum || 0–8 |-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf" | 9 || October 31 || @ Cleveland Cavaliers || 116–126 || Cleveland Arena || 0–9
|-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|10||November1||Houston Rockets||104-108||Philadelphia Spectrum||0-10
|-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|11||November3||Kansas City-Omaha Kings||101-114||Philadelphia Spectrum||0-11
|-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|12||November4||@Atlanta Hawks||120-128||Omni Coliseum||0-12
|-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|13||November5||@Milwaukee Bucks||113-131||Milwaukee Arena||0-13
|-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|14||November8||@Kansas City-Omaha Kings||107-125||Omaha Civic Auditorium||0-14
|-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|15||November10||New York Knicks||106-125||Philadelphia Spectrum||0-15
|-align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
|16||November11||NHouston Rockets||114-112||(San Antonio, Texas)||1-15
|-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|17||November12||@Phoenix Suns||108-119||Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum||1-16
|-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|18||November16||@Golden State Warriors||106-128||Oakland Arena||1-17
|-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|19||November17||@Seattle SuperSonics||92-105||Seattle Center Coliseum||1-18
|-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|20||November19||@Los Angeles Lakers||95-135||The Forum||1-19
|-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|21||November24||NBuffalo Braves||96-105||(Hershey, Pennsylvania)||1-20
|-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|22||November25||Portland Trail Blazers||106-117||Philadelphia Spectrum||1-21
|-align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
|23||November28||@Buffalo Braves||101-94||Buffalo Memorial Auditorium||2-21
|-align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|24||November29||New York Knicks||91-139||Philadelphia Spectrum||2-22
|-align=center bgcolor=edbebf
|25 |December1 |Boston Celtics |99 -105 |Philadelphia Spectrum |2 -23 |-align=center bgcolor=edbebf |26 |December2 |@Boston Celtics |120 -131 |Philadelphia Spectrum |2 -24 |-align=center bgcolor=bbffbb |27 |December6 |Kansas City-Omaha Kings |122 -117 |Philadelphia Spectrum |3 -24 |-align=center bgcolor=edbebf |28 |December7 |NPhoenix Suns |102 -117 |(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) |3 -25 |-align=center bgcolor=edbebf |29 |December8 |Chicago Bulls |102 -118 |Philadelphia Spectrum |3 -26 |-align=center bgcolor=edbebf |30 |December9 |@New York Knicks |109 -120 |Madison Square Garden |3 -27 |-align=center bgcolor=edbebf |31 |December12 |@Baltimore Bullets |102 -123 |Baltimore Civic Center 3 -28 |-align=center bgcolor=edbebf
32 December13 [[1972 -73 Los Angeles Lakers season Los Angeles Lakers 90 -128 Philadelphia Spectrum 3 -29
|-align=center bgcolor=edbebf
33 December16 Buffalo Braves
... [Further detailed game log continues in similar fashion]
Awards and records
- Fred Boyd earned a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team