1991–92 Philadelphia 76ers season
| Industry | Professional basketball team |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1946 (franchise founding year, inferred from 43rd season in 1991–92) |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
| Products | Basketball team |
The 1991–92 Philadelphia 76ers season represented the franchise's 43rd campaign in the NBA and its 29th year based in Philadelphia. In the offseason, the organization acquired free agent Charles Shackleford. Meanwhile, Charles Barkley changed his jersey number from 34 to 32 as a tribute to Magic Johnson, whose number had previously been retired by the team in honor of Billy Cunningham but was reissued specifically for Barkley.
The team began the season strongly, securing seven victories out of their initial ten contests. However, they subsequently faced a difficult stretch with seven consecutive losses and entered the All-Star break holding a 23–24 record. The squad was hampered by injuries throughout the year, culminating in a fifth-place finish in the Atlantic Division with a 35–47 record, which was insufficient to qualify for the playoffs.
Barkley was the leading performer, averaging 23.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.8 steals each game. Other significant contributors included Hersey Hawkins, who averaged 19.0 points and 1.9 steals; Armen Gilliam with 16.9 points and 8.1 rebounds; sixth man Ron Anderson who posted 13.7 points per game; and Johnny Dawkins, contributing 12.0 points and 6.9 assists on average. Shackleford added depth with averages of 6.6 points and 5.8 rebounds, while Manute Bol provided defensive strength off the bench, averaging 2.9 blocks per game.
During the NBA All-Star Game held in Orlando, Barkley was selected to represent the Eastern Conference, while Magic Johnson made a notable comeback, earning MVP honors despite his recent retirement following an HIV diagnosis.
Disagreements arose between Barkley and team management over the choice not to re-sign Rick Mahorn, who had played overseas in Italy before signing as a free agent with the New Jersey Nets. After the conclusion of the season, Barkley requested a trade and was subsequently dealt to the Phoenix Suns. This period also saw the dismissal of head coach Jim Lynam.
For this season, the franchise refreshed its visual identity by adding "Philadelphia" alongside "Sixers" on their jerseys and integrating star motifs into the uniform design; these uniforms were retained through to 1994.
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 44 | Álvaro Teherán | C | Template:COL | Houston |
Season standings
- y - clinched division title
- x - clinched playoff spot
- z - clinched division title
- y - clinched division title
- x - clinched playoff spot
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Sortname | 82 | 11 | 29.7 | .465 | .331 | .877 | 3.4 | 1.6 | 1.0 | .1 | 13.7 | |||||||
| Template:Sortname† | 8 | 0 | 4.0 | .455 | — | .833 | .5 | .3 | .0 | .0 | 1.9 | |||||||
| Template:Sortname | 75 | 75 | 38.4 | .552 | .234 | .695 | 11.1 | 4.1 | 1.8 | .6 | 23.1 | |||||||
| Template:Sortname | 71 | 2 | 17.8 | .383 | .000 | .462 | 3.1 | .3 | .2 | 2.9 | 1.5 | |||||||
| Template:Sortname | 82 | 82 | 34.3 | .437 | .356 | .882 | 2.8 | 6.9 | 1.1 | .1 | 12.0 | |||||||
| Template:Sortname | 81 | 81 | 34.2 | .511 | — | .807 | 8.1 | 1.5 | .6 | 1.0 | 16.9 | |||||||
| Template:Sortname† | 55 | 0 | 15.2 | .456 | .389 | .864 | 1.2 | 3.6 | .7 | 0 | 4.1 | |||||||
| Template:Sortname | 81 | 81 | 37.2 | .462 | .397 | .874 | 3..3 | 3..1 | 1..9 | 0..5 | 19..0 | |||||||
| Template:Sortname | 11 | 0 | 3..6 | ..286 | — | ..500 | ..9 | ..2 | ..0 | ..8| | ||||||||
| Template:Sortname† | 21 | 0 | 10..2 | 298 | 359 | 667 | 07 | 15 | 07 | 43| | ||||||||
| Template:Sortname | 34 | 0 | 8..2 | 330 | — | 682 | 09 | 06 | 01 | 24| | ||||||||
| Template:Sortname | 49 | 03 | 07..2 | 448 | 417 | 692 | 11 | 03 | 02 | 29| | ||||||||
| Template:Sortname | 13 | 05 | 16..1 | 526 | — | 688 | 36 | 04 | 05 | 39| | ||||||||
| Template:Sortname | 72 | 62 | 19..4 | 486 | — | 663 | 58 | 06 | 05 | 07| | ||||||||
| Template:Sortname | 49 | 00 | 11..6 | 384 | — | 686 | 19 | 04 | 04| | |||||||||
| Template:Sortname | 50 | 08 | 12..9 | 364 | — | 636 | 29 | 02 | 04 |
Awards and records
- Charles Barkley, selected for the All-NBA Second Team