When asked about the greatest point guard in Philadelphia 76ers history, there can only be one answer: Allen Iverson. It's as simple as that.
Aside from the legend himself, however, the Sixers have had a fair amount of amazing point guards through the years. With the franchise having been around since 1949 (then the Syracuse Nationals), we had to go through a long list of potential candidates for our ranking. After all the searching, we came up with three players that stood out the most. Below we proudly present the Top 3 point guards in Philadelphia 76ers history.
3. Ben Simmons
Despite playing in only his third season with the Sixers, it was close to impossible to leave off Ben Simmons on our list here.
For starters, let's look at his numbers: 16.4 points (on 56.1 percent shooting), 8.3 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game in his first three seasons. Those are some very impressive all-around numbers, and as an oversized point guard, it is clear why the comparisons to the great Magic Johnson have hovered over the 6-foot-10 Simmons.
It's also crucial to note that the Australian national is just 23 years old. He's only going to get better at this point, and so long as he surrounds himself with the right people, he should have a tremendous career ahead of him. The potential is certainly there, it's just a matter of properly tapping into it to bring out the best in the former Rookie of the Year winner.
In July last year, Simmons put pen to paper on a massive $169.65 million deal that will keep him with the Sixers up to at least the 2024-25 season. He's going to be with the team for the long haul, and truth be told, the sky is the limit for this kid.
2. Maurice Cheeks
For the younger generation, Maurice Cheeks is more known for his role as being an NBA head coach. Having had head coaching stints with the Portland Trail Blazers, the Detroit Pistons, and the Sixers as well, the 63-year-old currently serves as an assistant coach under Billy Donovan with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In his playing days, however, Cheeks was an absolute baller, and he had the best stint of his Hall of Fame career while in Philadelphia.
Cheeks was a second-round pick for the Sixers in 1978, and while many teams passed on the 6-foot-1 point guard coming out of West Texas A&M University, he eventually landed with Philadelphia. What a steal he was.
In 11 seasons with the 76ers, Cheeks averaged 12.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 2.3 steals. He was a crucial piece for the Sixers team that went all the way to win the 1983 NBA title, which happens to be that last championship this franchise has won thus far.
Aside from being an excellent playmaker, Cheeks was also a great defender. He was named to the All-Defensive team on five separate occasions, making him one of, if not the best defensive point guard to have ever dawned a Sixers uniform.
1. Allen Iverson
The moment the concept of this article was born, we were already certain of one thing: that the legendary Allen Iverson would have to be at the very top of the list.
Despite all the trouble he encountered off the court, Iverson's greatness on it was more than enough for him to claim the No. 1 spot. Selected first overall by the Sixers in 1996, the diminutive 6-foot point guard would make an instant impact upon his arrival by winning the Rookie of the Year trophy in his first season.
In his third season, Iverson would lead the Sixers to its first playoffs berth in eight long years. This would be followed by four more consecutive postseason runs, including a memorable trip to the NBA Finals in 2001. This was the venue of Iverson's disrespectful step-over on a young Tyronne Lue after the former hit a jumper over him. That will forever remain to be one of the most iconic moments in NBA history.
In 12 seasons with the Sixers — including a comeback season at the end of his career — Iverson holds career averages with the team of 27.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.2 3-pointers. Being one of the greatest scorers of all time — perhaps even the best ever pound-for-pound — Iverson's 19,931 career points for the Sixers is the second- most in franchise history.
An 11-time All-Star, Iverson is a seven-time All-NBA team member, a one-time regular season MVP winner, a four-time scoring champion, and also led the league in steals in three separate occasions. For all his contributions to the sport, the former Georgetown standout was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2016.
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