1982–83 Philadelphia 76ers season
| Company type | Professional basketball team |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports (Basketball) |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
Key people | Moses Malone, Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones, Andrew Toney, Billy Cunningham (head coach) |
| Products | NBA basketball team |
| Owner | Harold Katz |
The 1982–83 Philadelphia 76ers campaign represented the franchise's 37th year overall and its 20th season based in Philadelphia. Following their runner-up finish in the 1982 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, the team made a significant roster move prior to the season by acquiring free-agent center Moses Malone from the Houston Rockets through a sign-and-trade deal involving Caldwell Jones. This strategic addition bolstered a lineup that already included Hall of Famers Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, and Bobby Jones, along with All-Star guard Andrew Toney.
Under the ownership of Harold Katz, who had taken control of the franchise in 1982, the Sixers dominated the regular season, finishing with an impressive 65–17 record—the second-best in team history. Team leader Erving was honored as the NBA All Star Game MVP, while Malone earned the prestigious MVP title. Malone confidently forecasted a rapid postseason journey by famously declaring "four, four, four," indicating his expectation of sweeping all three playoff series.
Surpassing expectations, Philadelphia swept the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and overcame the Milwaukee Bucks in five games during the Conference Finals. The Sixers then secured their third NBA championship by sweeping the reigning champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, in four straight games—avenging their previous year's defeat. Malone was named Finals MVP, and their remarkable 12–1 playoff record stands as one of the most dominant performances in NBA history.
This roster is frequently cited among the greatest teams ever assembled, holding the third-highest playoff winning percentage behind only the 2016–17 Golden State Warriors (16–1) and 2000–01 Lakers (15–1). The phrase "fo', fi', fo'," inspired by Malone's prediction, became ingrained in popular culture and even influenced an R&B track by Philadelphia-based group Pieces of a Dream.
As of 2025, this championship remains the most recent NBA title for the 76ers franchise, which made another Finals appearance in 2001 but once again fell short against the Lakers.
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Mark McNamara | C/F | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | California |
| 2 | 36 | J.J. Anderson | SF | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Bradley |
| 2 | 45 | Russ Schoene | PF | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Tennessee-Chattanooga |
| 3 | 68 | Dale Solomon | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Virginia Tech | |
| 4 | 91 | Bruce Atkins | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Duquesne | |
| 5 | 114 | Donald Mason | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Fresno State | |
| 6 | 137 | Kevin Boyle | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Iowa | |
| 7 | 160 | Keith Hilliard | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Southwest Missouri State | |
| 8 | 183 | Donald Seals | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Jackson State | |
| 9 | 204 | George Melton | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Cheyney (PA) | |
| 10 | 224 | Randy Burkert | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Drexel |
Game log
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 1 || || at New York Knicks || 104–89 || Madison Square Garden || 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 2 || || New Jersey Nets || 110–99 || The Spectrum || 2–0 |-
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 3 || || San Diego Clippers || 130–111 || The Spectrum || 3–0
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 4 || || at Detroit Pistons || 120–109 || Pontiac Silverdome || 4–0
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 5 || || Boston Celtics || 119–115 || The Spectrum || 5–0
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 6 || || Chicago Bulls || 145–108 || The Spectrum || 6–0
|- align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 7 || || Indiana Pacers || 108–117 || The Spectrum || 6–1
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 8 || || at New Jersey Nets || 110–100 || Brendan Byrne Arena || 7–1
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 9 || || Washington Bullets || 102–93 || The Spectrum || 8–1
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 10 || || Detroit Pistons || 120–103 || The Spectrum || 9–1
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 11 || || Milwaukee Bucks || 121–109 || The Spectrum || 10–1
|- align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 12 || || Portland Trail Blazers||103–106||The Spectrum||10–2
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
|13||@ Indiana Pacers||121–106||Market Square Arena||11–2
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
|14||@ Cleveland Cavaliers||120–102||Richfield Coliseum||12–2
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
|15||Utah Jazz||126–113||The Spectrum||13–2
|- align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|16||@ Atlanta Hawks||97–111||The Omni||13–3
|}
|- align=center bgcolor=bbffbb |17||@ Phoenix Suns||116–108||Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum||14–3 |- align=center bgcolor=bbffbb |18||@ San Diego Clippers||127–110||San Diego Sports Arena||15–3 |- align=center bgcolor=bbffbb |19||@ Los Angeles Lakers||114–104||The Forum||16–3 |- align=center bgcolor=bbffbb |20||Atlanta Hawks||132–85||The Spectrum||17–3 |- align=center bgcolor=edbebf |21||@ Boston Celtics||97–123||Boston Garden||17–4 |- align=center bgcolor=bbffbb |22||Detroit Pistons||128–111||The Spectrum||18–4 |- align=center bgcolor=bbffbb |23||Cleveland Cavaliers||99–93||The Spectrum||19–4 |- align=center bgcolor=bbffbb |24||New York Knicks||109–95||The Spectrum||20–4 |- align=center bgcolor=edbebf |25||@ Washington Bullets||97–100||Capital Centre||20–5 |- align=center bgcolor=bbffbb |26||||122-105||||21-5 |- align=center bgcolor=bbffbb |27|||@ San Antonio Spurs|||124-122|||HemisFair Arena|||22-5 |- align=center bgcolor=bbffbb |28|||@ Houston Rockets|||104-93|||The Summit|||23-5 |- align=center bgcolor=bbffbb |29|||@ Dallas Mavericks|||126-116|||Reunion Arena|||24-5
... [Further detailed game logs omitted for brevity] ...
Playoffs
| 1 | New York | W 112–102 | Moses Malone (38 points) | Moses Malone (17 rebounds) | Maurice Cheeks (10 assists) | The Spectrum 14,375 attendees |
1–0 series lead | |
| 2 | New York | W 98–91 | Moses Malone (30 points) | Moses Malone (17 rebounds) | Maurice Cheeks (6 assists) | The Spectrum 15,829 attendees |
2–0 series lead | |
| 3 | @ New York | W 107–105 | Moses Malone (28 points) | Moses Malone (14 rebounds) | Maurice Cheeks (7 assists) | Madison Square Garden 17,735 attendees |
3–0 series lead | |
| 4 | @ New York | W 105–102 | Moses Malone (29 points) | Moses Malone (14 rebounds) | Maurice Cheeks (7 assists) | Madison Square Garden 15,457 attendees |
4–0 series sweep |
| 1 | Milwaukee | W 111–109 (OT) | Maurice Cheeks (26 points) | Moses Malone (12 rebounds) | Maurice Cheeks (7 assists) | The Spectrum 18,482 attendees |
1–0 series lead | |
| 2 | Milwaukee | W 87–81 | Moses Malone (26 points) | Moses Malone (17 rebounds) | Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney (4 assists each) | The Spectrum 18,482 attendees |
2–0 series lead | |
| 3 | @ Milwaukee | W 104–96 | Julius Erving (26 points) | Moses Malone (14 rebounds) | Maurice Cheeks (9 assists) | MECCA Arena 11,052 attendees |
3–0 series lead | |
| 4 | @ 1982–83 Milwaukee Bucks season#Milwaukee | L 94–100 | Andrew Toney (24 points) | Moses Malone (12 rebounds) | Maurice Cheeks (8 assists) | MECCA Arena 11,052 attendees |
Series at 3–1 | |
| 5 | 1982-83 Milwaukee Bucks season#Milwaukee | W115-103 | Andrew Toney(30 points) | Moses Malone(17 rebounds) | Maurice Cheeks(8 assists) | The Spectrum 18,482 attendees |
4-1 series victory |
| 1 | 1982-83 Los Angeles Lakers season#Los Angeles | W113-107 | Moses Malone(27 points) | Moses Malone(18 rebounds) | Julius Erving(9 assists) | The Spectrum 18,482 attendees |
1-0 series lead | |
| 2 | 1982-83 Los Angeles Lakers season#Los Angeles | W103-93 | Moses Malone(24 points) | Moses Malone(12 rebounds) | Maurice Cheeks(8 assists) | The Spectrum 18,482 attendees |
2-0 series lead | |
|
W111-94 |
Moses Malone(28 points) |
Moses Malone(19 rebounds) |
Moses Malone(6 assists) |
The Forum | ||||||||
|
W115-108 |
Moses Malone(24 points) |
Moses Malone(23 rebounds) |
Andrew Toney(9 assists) |
The Forum |
NBA Finals
The 1983 NBA Finals brought the season to a close with the Philadelphia 76ers capturing their second NBA title for the city and third overall in the franchise’s history, which includes its time as the Nationals. After sweeping the New York Knicks and overcoming the Milwaukee Bucks in five games, the 76ers completed their postseason run by sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in four games—avenging their loss to the Lakers from the previous year. This championship was unique during the 1980–1988 period as it was the only one not claimed by either the Lakers or Boston Celtics.
Head coach Billy Cunningham praised Moses Malone, who earned Finals MVP honors alongside his third MVP award for the regular season. The 76ers dominated with a remarkable 12–1 playoff record, fulfilling Malone’s famous prediction of "Fo', fo', fo" (four wins per series). Key players who contributed significantly included Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, and Bobby Jones.
The 1983 Finals were notable for being the last NBA championship series to conclude before June 1. It also marked Philadelphia’s final major professional sports championship until the Phillies captured the 2008 World Series, ending a 25-year title drought—the longest among cities with franchises in all four major sports at that time. This drought was particularly striking given Philadelphia’s teams frequently reached championship rounds during U.S. presidential inauguration years but failed to secure titles during those occasions.
Following the conclusion of the Finals, NBA Entertainment produced a documentary entitled "That Championship Feeling," narrated by Dick Stockton and featuring Irene Cara’s 1983 hit "What A Feeling" as its soundtrack. This project was NBA Entertainment’s first to utilize videotape exclusively rather than traditional film for all footage.
Awards, records, and legacy
- Moses Malone, recipient of the NBA Most Valuable Player Award
- Moses Malone, awarded the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
- Bobby Jones, honored with the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award
- Moses Malone, selected for the All-NBA First Team
- Julius Erving, named to the All-NBA First Team
- Bobby Jones, included in the NBA All-Defensive First Team
- Maurice Cheeks, part of the NBA All-Defensive First Team
- Moses Malone, also on the NBA All-Defensive First Team
Their regular season record of 65–17 stood as the fifth-best in NBA history at that point, trailing only behind teams such as the 1972 Lakers (69–13), 1967 Sixers (68–13), 1971 Bucks (66–16), and 1973 Celtics (68–14). Their winning percentage of .793 was bettered by only three teams prior to 1968 when seasons were shorter.
Considering both regular season and playoffs combined, their .8105 winning percentage (77–18) in 1983 has since been surpassed by five squads: the 1986 Celtics (.820), Chicago Bulls in 1996 (.870) and 1997 (.832), and Golden State Warriors in 2016 (.830) and 2017 (.838).
After completing their first 66 games with a record of 57–9, they ranked second only to the Golden State Warriors’ historic start of 60–6 during their record-setting regular season in 2016.
With a roster anchored by stars such as Moses Malone and Julius Erving and guided by coaches Billy Cunningham, Matt Goukas, and Jack McMahon, the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers remain celebrated as one of the most outstanding teams in NBA history.