1995–96 Philadelphia 76ers season
| Company type | Professional basketball team |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
Area served | National Basketball Association (NBA) |
Key people | Jerry Stackhouse (drafted), John Lucas (head coach until end of season) |
| Products | Basketball team |
The 1995–96 Philadelphia 76ers season represented the franchise's 47th year competing in the NBA and their 33rd campaign based in Philadelphia. With the third overall selection in the 1995 NBA draft, the organization drafted shooting guard Jerry Stackhouse from the University of North Carolina. In the offseason, Philadelphia bolstered its roster by signing free agents Vernon Maxwell, Richard Dumas, second-year guard Trevor Ruffin, and experienced point guard Scott Skiles, who ended his playing career after participating in just ten games.
The squad faced considerable difficulties, including an 11-game losing streak following a balanced 2–2 start. Early on, the team executed a trade sending Shawn Bradley, Greg Graham, and Tim Perry to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Derrick Coleman, Rex Walters, and Sean Higgins; however, Coleman was limited to eleven appearances due to an irregular heartbeat condition. At midseason, Philadelphia traded second-year forward Sharone Wright to the expansion Toronto Raptors for forwards Tony Massenburg and Ed Pinckney. Veteran shooter Jeff Malone was released during the year and subsequently signed with the Miami Heat. The 76ers endured multiple extended losing stretches—nine consecutive defeats in January, seven in February, and eight in March—ultimately finishing at the bottom of the Atlantic Division with an 18–64 record, marking their poorest performance since the 1972–73 season.
Stackhouse delivered a strong rookie campaign, averaging 19.2 points alongside 3.9 assists per game, which earned him a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Other significant contributors were Clarence Weatherspoon (16.7 points and 9.7 rebounds), Maxwell (16.2 points and 4.4 assists), Ruffin (12.8 points and 4.4 assists), Coleman (11.2 points and 6.5 rebounds), Higgins (providing 8.0 points off the bench), and second-year center Derrick Alston (6.2 points and 4.1 rebounds). During All-Star weekend hosted at San Antonio’s Alamodome, Stackhouse took part in both the NBA Rookie Game and Slam Dunk Contest, finishing tied for fourth place in Rookie of the Year voting. This season also marked the final year that Philadelphia played home games at The Spectrum.
Following the conclusion of the season, Maxwell returned to sign with the San Antonio Spurs, Massenburg moved on to join the New Jersey Nets, and head coach John Lucas was relieved of his duties. Additionally, Ruffin, Pinckney, Dumas, Higgins, and Alston were released from the roster; notably, Dumas received a lifetime ban from the NBA after his third violation of league drug policies related to alcohol use.
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Jerry Stackhouse | SG | Template:USA | Template:College |
Roster Notes
- Point guard Scott Skiles retired on January 6, 1996.
Season standings
- z - clinched division title
- y - clinched division title
- x - clinched playoff spot
Awards and records
- Jerry Stackhouse, named to the NBA All-Rookie Team First Team
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Sortname | 73 | 41 | 22.1 | .512 | .333 | .491 | 4.1 | .8 | .8 | .7 | 6.2 |
| Template:Sortname | 8 | 0 | 8.3 | .235 | — | .750 | .6 | 1.0 | .1 | .1 | 1.4 |
| Template:Sortname† | 12 | 11 | 27.8 | .443 | — | .760 | 8.8 | .7 | .7 | 3.2 | 8.8 |
| Template:Sortname | 9 | 1 | 18.0 | .563 | — | .471 | 4.1 | .3 | .3 | .2 | 2.9 |
| Template:Sortname | 11 | 11 | 26.7 | .407 | .333 | .625 | 6.5 | 2.8 | .4 | .9 | 11.2 |
| Template:Sortname | 39 | 14 | 18.9 | .468 | .222 | .700 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 1.1 | .2 | 6.2 |
| Template:Sortname† | 8 | 3 | 16.0 | .531 | .500 | .882 | 1.9 | 1.4 | .6 | .0 | 7.0 |
| Template:Sortname† | 11 | 2 | 25.5 | .375 | .222 | .833 | 1.9 | 5.5 | 1.1 | .2 | 4.1 |
| Template:Sortname | 44 | 4 | 20.8 | .415 | .372 | .946 | 2.1 | 1.3 | .5 | .3 | 8.0 |
| Template:Sortname† | 25 | 3 | 16.3 | .394 | .313 | .923 | 1.3 | .8 | .5 | 0 | 6.2 |
| Template:Sortname† | 30 | 8 | 26.8 | .483 | 0 | .739 | 6.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 9.9 |
| Template:Sortname
75||57||32.9||.390||.317||.756||3.1||4.4||1.3||0.2||16.2 |