Latest news with #Philadelphia76ers
USA Today
9 hours ago
- Business
- USA Today
ESPN gives Sixers a poor grade for Paul George signing after first year
Hindsight is always 20/20. At the time of the signing, the Philadelphia 76ers appeared to be the clear winners of the offseason after landing 9-time All-Star Paul George on a 4-year $212 million deal. He was expected to join Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to form a formidable Big 3 in the Eastern Conference. Instead, injuries decimated the roster. George played only 41 games in his first season with the Sixers as he battled through multiple knee injuries, an adductor issue, and a finger issue as well. He just recently underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his bothersome left knee after an offseason workout. As time moves on, the Sixers hope George can get back to the player everybody knows he can be. ESPN regraded the 2024 offseason moves. After giving the Sixers an "A" for the move in 2024, in 2025, the move has received a "D": George's 16.2 points average was his worst in a full season since his second season in 2011-12. And George's average 3-point shooting (36%) raised questions about his ability to transition to a more complementary role on offense. After playing only 41 games in his first season with the Sixers, George will spend this summer rehabbing after undergoing knee surgery last week. There's still time for George to be a productive part of a competitive Philadelphia team, particularly if his accuracy from 3 bounces back after he shot 41% in 2023-24 with the Clippers. Still, given George's age (35), it was always evident that the back half of a max contract might not be a good value. Not getting All-Star production in the first year makes it all but impossible for the 76ers to win that bet. Everybody knows how talented George is. One has to believe the Sixers will get a much better version of him in the 2025-26 season after undergoing this latest procedure to fully fix his health issues. Philadelphia is certainly baking on it as it moves forward with its plan to bounce back.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sixers star Paul George changes stance on Jazz rookie Ace Bailey
Utah Jazz rookie Ace Bailey caught a lot of flack for his draft strategy leading up to the June 25 night. He canceled a workout with the Philadelphia 76ers--who held the No. 3 pick--as well as workouts with every other team who had an interest in the Rutgers star. Bailey fell to the Jazz with the No. 5 overall pick and will look to make an impact in Utah. He averaged 13.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in two summer league games--both in Salt Lake City--for the Jazz. Advertisement Sixers star Paul George--who was a staunch Bailey supporter--questioned his draft strategy leading up to that night. On the latest episode of "Podcast P with Paul George", the Sixers' star changed his stance on the strategy: I want to kind of retract what I said. How can we get on a kid that kind of knows what he wants? We're not in his shoes. He wants to do it his way. He's good enough, he's got the talent, he's gonna go where he wants to go. That's his decision. It could have backfired, but it didn't. He's still in a great situation; he still gets to showcase what he could do. He had a great game too. He went crazy, showed his potential, a flash of it. Time will tell if Bailey will turn into the star player that many believe he can be with Utah. The Sixers, in turn, selected Baylor's VJ Edgecombe with the No. 3 overall pick as he looks to join a talented backcourt in Philadelphia. Bailey will look to give the Jazz that cornerstone piece they need to continue their rebuild. This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers star Paul George changes stance on Jazz rookie Ace Bailey
USA Today
21 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Where does Sixers legend Allen Iverson land on all-time greats list?
There is no question that Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson is one of the best players to ever play this great game. Standing at just 6-feet tall, Iverson would go toe-to-toe with the giants of the league and put on a dominant display of scoring the basketball. In 12 years with the Sixers, Iverson averaged 27.6 points and 6.1 assists along with 3.9 rebounds. He won the MVP award in 2001 when he led the Sixers to the finals and was able to throw the franchise on his bony shoulders on numerous occasions. With that being said, one has to wonder where Iverson ranks all-time. Bleacher Report put together a list of their top 100 players in the history of the game and Iverson came in ranked No. 36: Allen Iverson's place in the pantheon of all-time greats is subject to relitigation as people assign more value to efficiency and the ability to work outside heliocentric offenses. But AI isn't frequently billed as the 'pound-for-pound GOAT' strictly because of vibes. Granted, his cultural impact on the game and those who consumed it ferries great meaning. He was defiant and eccentric, both on and off the court, and played like someone who had everything to prove and wanted no help in seeking his validation or accolades. Carrying the 2000-01 Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals looms as his greatest accomplishment. That team's second-best player was 34-year-old Dikembe Mutombo. Although Philly was trucked upon meeting the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, making the championship round at all was a testament to Iverson's singularity. Iverson is one of the best players to ever play this game so it's good to see him get his acknowledgement. His No. 3 uniform hangs from the rafters at the Wells Fargo Center and the Sixers have honored him with a statue outside of the team's practice facility in Camden, NJ.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Stephen A. Smith reported the Lakers considered signing Allen Iverson in 2012 if he was "willing" to play in D-League first
Stephen A. Smith reported the Lakers considered signing Allen Iverson in 2012 if he was "willing" to play in D-League first originally appeared on Basketball Network. The Los Angeles Lakers were eager to redeem themselves in 2012 following a devastating first-round playoff loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Ahead of the trade deadline, Stephen A. Smith reported that the Lakers were considering signing Allen Iverson to bolster their backcourt. At the time, Iverson was already two years from his retirement from the NBA. Though the former Philadelphia 76ers superstar played professional basketball overseas for a year, Smith said the Lakers would only consider signing Iverson under one condition. According to Smith, the Lakers would like to see Iverson perform in the NBA D-League first. They wanted to ensure that "The Answer" could still play at a high level before deciding. "Allen Iverson, who sources indicated the Lakers had some interest in as long as he was willing to go to the NBA Developmental League for a few weeks first, is not the answer," Smith wrote via ESPN. "He's simply not a point guard. The Lakers are also said to be interested in former Toronto Raptors point guard Rafer Alston, who helped the Orlando Magic reach the NBA Finals in 2009. But who knows if that will materialize into anything?" "All we know for the moment is that the parts the Lakers have are not good enough," he added. The Sixers considered having Kobe and Iverson too For the Lakers faithful, the idea of having Kobe Bryant and Iverson together sounded exciting. But taking a quick trip down memory lane, the Sixers also thought about the same thing way back in 1996. That year, Iverson was the most highly touted incoming NBA rookie. On the other hand, Bryant was also gaining traction as a high school phenom who had jumped straight into the pros. Both youngsters were up-and-coming, and the Sixers were truly enticed to form an explosive backcourt duo with Bryant and Iverson. However, the Lakers swooped for Kobe on draft day right after he was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets as the 13th overall pick. "In 1996, Sixers scout Tony DiLeo wanted to draft high schooler Kobe Bryant and discussed trading a young Jerry Stackhouse to pair Iverson and Bryant together," Jonathan Abrahams said in his book entitled "Boys Among Men." The Lakers got Nash instead of Iverson Unsurprisingly, nothing came to fruition in the Lakers' interest in Iverson in 2012. It wasn't clear why it did not progress, but knowing "The Answer" and his ego, joining the NBA D-League in the hope of making it back to the league was something he wouldn't do or even consider. The Lakers headed to the 2011-12 playoffs without an elite point guard. Their season concluded after a tough second-round loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. At that point, the Lakers were desperate to win another NBA championship. The front office began to work in the summer and formed a star-studded starting five for the next season. Instead of pursuing Iverson to fill the point guard position, the Lakers managed to sign two-time MVP Steve Nash. Apart from Nash, All-Star big man Dwight Howard also joined the Purple and Gold in a historic free agency move. Unfortunately for the Lakers, Nash didn't live up to their expectations. As for Iverson, he never returned to the NBA and never considered playing in the story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Where does Sixers star Joel Embiid rank on top 100 players list?
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has accomplished a lot in his career. Despite the injuries holding him back at the most inopportune times, the superstar big man has led the league in scoring twice, won the MVP award in 2023, and finished second in MVP in 2021 and 2022. Embiid was on his way to winning MVP again in 2024 as he was dominating at such a high level. He was closing games out in the third quarter and sitting out the fourth. He was playing at an other-worldly level before suffering the knee injury in January of that year. When looking at Embiid's career, Bleacher Report ranked him No. 66 on their top 100 players of all time list: The best stretch of Embiid's career came from 2020-21 to 2022-23, when he finished second, second and first in MVP voting and was the clear top challenger to Nikola Jokić's incredible run during that same span. Embiid had loads of physical advantages when healthy, including balletic footwork, shooting touch and pure strength. But he also developed serious craft and led the league in made free throws three times and is the current all-time leader in career free-throw makes per game at 8.3. With games played totals of 39 in 2023-24 and just 19 this past season, Embiid is struggling to stay on the floor more than ever. He's a Hall of Famer if he never plays another game. When looking back at Embiid's career whenever he does decide to hang it up, one will likely believe it was more of a "what if?" type of situation. If only the big fella had ever stayed healthy for one playoff run, he probably would have led the Sixers to their first venture past Round 2 since the 2001 run to the finals led by Allen Iverson. Instead, the Sixers are waiting to see if Embiid will be healthy and ready to go for the 2025-26 season after undergoing a second knee surgery in a span of 14 months back in April.
