Who's The Greatest Coach In Philadelphia 76ers History?

In this series, we’ll take a look at the illustrious list of head coaches in each NBA franchise’s history. To make a case for ‘greatest coach,’ we’ll look at win-loss record, player development, and (most importantly) team accomplishments under that coach’s tutelage.

How many NBA fans remember that the Philadelphia 76ers used to be based in New York? In the first 14 years of their existence in the league, the Sixers were known as the Syracuse Nationals. They had three head coaches during that era, but only one won the richest prize in the NBA.

In 1963, the Nationals relocated to nearby Philadelphia and rebranded into the 76ers, a moniker that has endured for over 60 years. Twenty-three more individuals have inherited the mantle of head coach in this lengthy span, and while a good number of legendary figures populate this list, there are only a handful of mentors with a strong case for the greatest head coach in franchise history.

The inaugural head coach of this franchise was Al Cervi. Nicknamed “Digger” in his playing years, the World War II veteran brought his defensive identity to the Nationals for seven years. In 1955, Cervi led the Nationals to their first-ever NBA championship. Dolph Schayes, who went on to become a 12-time All-Star, was the star of that team.

There are only two other coaches to bring championship glory to the Nationals/Sixers franchise, and one of them was Billy Cunningham. A highly decorated player in both the NBA and the ABA, Cunningham took the coaching cudgels in Philadelphia from 1977 to 1985. His crowning achievement came in 1983 when he won the NBA title via a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. The likes of Moses Malone, Andrew Toney, and Julius Erving were the focal points of Cunningham’s offense.

In the four decades following Cunningham’s title conquest, the last truly glorious period of Sixers basketball was the Allen Iverson era. AI, of course, had a most interesting relationship with his head coach, Larry Brown. Amidst their public and private bickering, Iverson and Brown are the last star player-head coach tandem to bring Philadelphia to the NBA Finals. That was in 2001, when Iverson won MVP and Brown was named Coach of the Year.

Cunningham gets the nod as the greatest coach in franchise history. Aside from his 1983 championship win, Cunningham is the only Sixers mentor to crack 400+ regular-season wins. For his impressive track record, Cunningham can be considered the greatest Sixers coach ever.