1996–97 Philadelphia 76ers season
| Industry | Professional basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1946 |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
Key people | Johnny Davis (head coach), Brad Greenberg (general manager) |
| Products | NBA basketball team |
The 1996–97 Philadelphia 76ers season represented the franchise's 48th campaign in the NBA and its 34th year based in Philadelphia. After securing the top pick through the NBA draft lottery, the organization selected point guard Allen Iverson from Georgetown University as the first overall choice in the 1996 NBA draft. Iverson rapidly established himself as a premier NBA point guard. The offseason also included signing free agents Don MacLean, Mark Davis, Lucious Harris, and veteran center Michael Cage.
With new head coach Johnny Davis at the helm, the Sixers began the season with a 7–8 record but then endured a severe downturn, dropping 23 of the next 24 games, including extended losing streaks, and entered the All-Star break with a 12–34 mark. They concluded the season sixth in the Atlantic Division with a disappointing 22–60 record, missing the playoffs for a sixth consecutive year.
Iverson was the standout performer, averaging 23.5 points, 7.5 assists, and 2.1 steals per contest. He set a rookie milestone by scoring 40 or more points in five consecutive games, highlighted by a season-best 50-point effort against the Cleveland Cavaliers. His achievements earned him NBA Rookie of the Year honors and a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Second-year player Jerry Stackhouse added an average of 20.7 points per game and knocked down 102 three-pointers, while Derrick Coleman posted a double-double average of 18.1 points and 10.1 rebounds despite being limited to 57 games due to injury. Clarence Weatherspoon contributed 12.2 points and grabbed 8.3 rebounds per game. Off the bench, MacLean provided an average of 10.9 points in limited minutes, with Mark Davis contributing 8.5 points and 4.3 rebounds.
During the NBA All-Star weekend held at Cleveland's Gund Arena, Iverson excelled in the Rookie Game, earning MVP honors with 19 points and nine assists; however, he withdrew from the Slam Dunk Contest due to injury.
The Sixers relocated to their new home at CoreStates Center after nearly thirty years at The Spectrum. Following the conclusion of the season, both coach Davis and general manager Brad Greenberg were relieved of their duties. Key players MacLean, Harris, and Cage were traded to the New Jersey Nets as part of a strategic roster reshaping focused on building around Iverson's rising star.
NBA draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Allen Iverson | PG/SG | Template:USA | Georgetown |
| 2 | 31 | Mark Hendrickson | SF | Template:USA | Washington State |
| 2 | 32 | Ryan Minor (from Toronto) | SG | Template:USA | Oklahoma |
| 2 | 48 | Jamie Feick (from Detroit) | PF | Template:USA | Michigan State |
Roster
{{NBA roster footer │ head_coach =
│ asst_coach =
│ roster_url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/1997.html │ transaction_url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/1997_transactions.html }}
Season schedule
Player statistics
Note: GP = Games Played; REB = Rebounds; AST = Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | 76ers points | Opponent points | Record | Streak | OT | |||||
| 1 | November 1 | Milwaukee | Defeat | 103 | 111 | 0-1 | Lost 1 | ||||||
| 2 | November 2 | @ Chicago | Defeat | 86 | 115 | 0-2 | Lost 2 | ||||||
| 3 | November 5 | Detroit | Defeat | 81 | 83 | 0-3 | Lost 3 | ||||||
| 4 | November 8 | @ Boston | Victory | 115 | 105 | 1-3 | Won 1 | ||||||
| 5 | November 9 | Phoenix | Victory | 112 | 95 | 2-3 | Won 2 | ||||||
| 6 | November 12 | @ New York | Victory | 101 | 97 | 3-3 | Won3 | ||||||
| 7 | November 13 | @ Toronto | Defeat | 98 | 110 | 3-4 | Lost1 | ||||||
| 8 | November 15 | Cleveland | Defeat | 89 | 105 | 3-5 | Lost2 | ||||||
| 9 | November 16 | @ Miami | Victory | 91 | 89 | 4-5 | Won1 | ||||||
| 10 | November20 | Indiana | Defeat | 92 | 103 | 4-6 | Lost1 | ||||||
| 11 | November22 | @ Washington | Defeat | 76 | 88 | 4-7 | Lost2 | ||||||
| 12 | November23 | New York | Victory | 109 | 92 | 5-7 | Won1 | ||||||
| 13 | November26 | LA Lakers | Defeat | 88 | 100 | 5-8 | Lost1 | ||||||
| 14 | November29 | Orlando | Victory | 100 | 91 | 6-8 | Won1 | ||||||
| 15 | November30 | Vancouver | Victory | 96 | 90 | 7-8 | Won2 | ||||||
| 16 | December4 | @ San Antonio | Defeat | 103 | 113 | 7-9 | Lost1 | ||||||
| 17 | December5 | @ Dallas | Defeat | 102 | 106 | 7-10 | Lost2 | ||||||
| 18 | December7 | @ Houston | Defeat | 108 | 123 | 7-11 | Lost3 | ||||||
| 19 | December9 | Seattle | Defeat | 94 | 118 | 7-12 | Lost4 | ||||||
| 20 | December11 | Miami | Defeat | 79 | 84 | 7-13 | Lost5 | ||||||
| 21 | December13 | @ Charlotte | Defeat | 75 | 84 | 7-14 | Lost6 | ||||||
| 22 | December14 | @ Atlanta | Defeat | 81 | 106 | 7-15 | Lost7 | ||||||
| 23 | December17 | Charlotte | Defeat | 84 | 93 | 7-16 | Lost8 | ||||||
| 24 | December20 | New York | Defeat | 103 | 110 | 7-17 | Lost9 | ||||||
| 25 | December21 | Chicago | Defeat | 105 | 111 | 7-18 | Lost10 | ||||||
| 26 | December26 | @ Denver | Victory | 118 | 89 | 8-18 | Won1 | ||||||
| 27 | December28 | @ Utah | Defeat | 84 | 110 | 8-19 | Lost1 | ||||||
| December29 |@ LA Lakers | 102 |115 |8–20 |Lost2 | | ||||||||||||
| January2 |@ Seattle | 82 |96 |8–21 |Lost3 | | ||||||||||||
| January3 |@ Golden State | 114 |122 |8–22 |Lost4 |OT | ||||||||||||
| January5 |@ Sacramento | 106 |107 |8–23 |Lost5 | | ||||||||||||
| January7 |@ Orlando | 88 |109 |8–24 |Lost6 | | ||||||||||||
| January8 |Dallas | 93 |111 |8–25 |Lost7 | | ||||||||||||
| January10 |Houston | 99 |120 |8–26 |Lost8 | | ||||||||||||
| January13 |Utah | 96 |97 |8–27 |Lost9 |
OT |
| Player | GP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen Iverson | 76 | 312 | 567 | 157 | 24 | 1787 | 23.5 |
| Jerry Stackhouse | 81 | 338 | 253 | 93 | 63 | 1679 | 20.7 |
| Derrick Coleman | 57 | 573 | 193 | 50 | 75 | 1032 | 18.1 |
| Clarence Weatherspoon | 82 | 679 | 140 | 74 | 86 | 1003 | 12.2 |
| Mark Davis | 75 | 323 | 135 | 85 | 31 | 639 | 8.5 |
| Don McLean | 37 | 140 | 37 | 12 | 10 | 402 | 10.9 |
| Rex Walters | 59 | 107 | 113 | 28 | 3 | 402 | 6.8 |
| Scott Williams | 62 | 397 | 41 | 44 | 41 | 362 | 5.8 |
| Lucious Harris | 54 | 71 | 50 | 41 | 3 | 293 | 5.4 |
| Doug Overton | 61 | 68 | 101 | 24 | — | 217 | 3.6 |
| Michael Cage | 82 | 320 | 43 | 48 | 42 | 151 | 1.8 |
| Mark Hendrickson | 29 | 92 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 85 | 2.9 |
| Adrian Caldwell | 27 | 111 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 72 | 2.7 |
| Mark Bradtke | 36 | 68 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 59 | 1.6 |
| Frankie King | 7 | 14 | 5 | 4 | — | 20 | 2.9 |
| Joe Courtney | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 3.0 |
Honors and awards
- Allen Iverson, recipient of the NBA Rookie of the Year Award
- Allen Iverson, selected to the NBA All-Rookie Team First Team