2022-23 Kia MVP Joel Embiid became the first Sixer to win the award since Allen Iverson in 2001
The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the most iconic franchises in all of professional basketball. Throughout the course of their 76 seasons in the ABA/NBA, the Sixers have had a litany of great players suit up in the classic red, white and blue. From the late, great Wilt Chamberlain to Allen Iverson and Joel Embiid, let’s take a look at each regular season MVP winner and their individual campaigns.
Wilt Chamberlain, 1965-66
Selected with the third overall pick in the 1959 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia Warriors, the Philly native Chamberlain spent five and a half seasons with the Warriors before being dealt to the 76ers in 1965. In his first full season as a Sixer in 1965-66, ‘Wilt the Stilt’ was awarded his first of three consecutive MVP honors after leading the league in points (33.5), rebounds (24.6), minutes played (47.3), field goals made (13.6) and attempted (25.2), and field goal percentage (54.0) across 79 games.
Wilt Chamberlain, 1966-67
In his eighth season at age 30, Wilt took home his second straight and third overall MVP award. His scoring numbers dropped to 24.1 ppg, but he led the league in rebounding (24.2), field goal percentage (68.3), minutes (45.5) and games played (81), adding a then career-high 7.8 assists. That dominance continued into the postseason, where ‘The Big Dipper’ tallied 21.7 ppg, 29.1 rpg (led Playoffs) and 9.0 apg to lead Philadelphia to their first NBA championship as the 76ers.
Wilt Chamberlain, 1967-68
The following year, Wilt’s final season with the Sixers, he became the second player in the league’s history to be named the Most Valuable Player three consecutive times, joining Boston’s Bill Russell (1960-61 to 1962-63). Chamberlain poured in 24.3 ppg and dished out a career-high 8.6 apg while leading the NBA in rebounding (23.8 rpg), field goal percentage (59.5) and minutes played (46.8) for the third straight season. In addition to his MVP awards, the NBA’s all-time leader in boards (22.9 per game) was voted to the All-Star and All-NBA First Teams in each of these campaigns.
Julius Erving, 1980-81
The next Hall of Famer on the list of Philly MVP’s is none other than ‘The Doctor’ himself, Julius Winfield Erving II. The 6-foot-7 forward-guard spent his entire 11-year career in the NBA with the 76ers, from 1976-77 to 1986-87. ‘Dr. J’ was voted as an All-Star every year he played, and made five All-NBA First Teams and two All-NBA Second Teams over that span. During his MVP campaign in 1980-81, Erving posted averages of 24.6 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 4.4 apg, 2.1 spg and 1.8 bpg while shooting 52.2% overall across 82 contests.
Moses Malone, 1982-83
After winning his first two MVP awards as a member of the Houston Rockets in 1979 and 1982, Moses Malone was acquired by the Philadelphia 76ers during the ‘82 offseason. Malone would go on to earn his second consecutive MVP honor in 1983 after putting up 24.5 ppg on 50.1% shooting in 37.5 minutes a night, along with 1.1 spg and 2.0 bpg. He led the league in total rebounding (15.3 rpg), defensive rebounds (9.6) and offensive rebounds (5.7), as well as free-throws made (7.7) and attempted (10.1). His massive presence helped Julius Erving and the Sixers win the NBA title that year, where Malone was named Finals MVP after averaging 26.0 points and a postseason-best 15.8 rpg.
Allen Iverson, 2000-01
Nearly two decades later, Allen Iverson became the fourth player in Philadelphia’s history to win the MVP award. Iverson received MVP votes at age 21 in his Rookie of the Year season in 1996-97. ‘The Answer’ was a four-time scoring champ and three-time steals leader, achieving both of those accolades during his lone MVP campaign in 2000-01, when he averaged 31.1 ppg and 2.5 spg in 71 regular season contests. He added 3.8 rpg, 4.6 apg and 10.1 free-throw attempts a night, and led the league in field goal attempts (25.5) for the third straight year.
Joel Embiid, 2022-23
The most recent MVP for the 76ers was awarded to Cameroon native Joel Embiid after a sensational 2022-23 season. Despite battling through injuries that cost him the first two years of his professional career, ‘The Process’ took home the Michael Jordan MVP Trophy at age 29 after being crowned the NBA scoring champ in back-to-back seasons. Embiid put up a career-high 33.1 ppg on a career-best 54.8% shooting in just 34.6 minutes a night, adding 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.7 blocks. He also led the league in free-throws made for the third straight year (10.0) at an 85.7% clip. Across his nine active seasons, the 7-footer is the all-time leader in free-throws per game with 8.3 makes.
