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Philadelphia 76ers: 25 Best Players To Play For The 76ers

By Phil Watson

Dec 11, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; General view of the Wells Fargo Center during a game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons won107-95. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 11, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; General view of the Wells Fargo Center during a game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons won107-95. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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(Original Caption) Dolph Schayes, former New York University basketeer, who made his first appearance as a pro at Madison Square Garden when he appeared with the Syracuse Quintet, dribbles here around big Connie Simmons (6) of the New York Knickerbockers. The Syracuse Nationals copped the event, nipping the New York team, 77 to 74.
(Original Caption) Dolph Schayes, former New York University basketeer, who made his first appearance as a pro at Madison Square Garden when he appeared with the Syracuse Quintet, dribbles here around big Connie Simmons (6) of the New York Knickerbockers. The Syracuse Nationals copped the event, nipping the New York team, 77 to 74. /

2. player. 93. <strong>How acquired:</strong> Trade, Tri-Cities Blackhawks, July 1, 1948.. PF-C. . Dolph Schayes

The National Basketball League’s Syracuse Nationals set themselves on the road to success by spending some cash, first to acquire the rights to NYU standout Dolph Schayes from the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and then by outbidding the New York Knicks to sign him.

The Knicks had selected Schayes with the fourth overall pick in the 1948 Basketball Association of America draft, but the Nationals offered more money and Schayes signed.

PHI_02_SCHAYES
PHI_02_SCHAYES /

He was the NBL Rookie of the Year in 1948-49 and then moved with the franchise to the NBA after the two rival leagues merged in 1949.

Schayes was a 12-time All-Star after the move, earning All-NBA honors 12 times as well. He was second in the MVP voting in 1957-58 and finished fifth in both 1955-56 and 1956-57.

Schayes also led the NBA in rebounding in 1950-51, was the league’s top free-throw shooter three times, 1957-58, 1959-60 and 1961-62 and led the NBA in minutes per game in 1956-57 and 1957-58.

He finished in the top five in rebounding nine times in all, in scoring five times—capped by a second-place finish in 1957-58—and in free-throw shooting 10 different seasons.

Schayes averaged 17.3 points per game as the Nationals lost to the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1950 NBA Finals in six games and averaged 9.3 points on 39.7 percent shooting from the floor and uncharacteristic 55.9 percent shooting at the line in a seven-game loss to Minneapolis in the 1954 NBA Finals.

In the 1955 NBA Finals, Schayes averaged 19 points, 11.9 rebounds and three assists in 31.1 minutes per game, shooting 39.2 percent from the field and 83.8 percent at the foul line as the Nationals topped the Fort Wayne Pistons in seven games.

When the franchise moved to Philadelphia in 1963, Schayes was named player-coach before retiring as a player after the 1963-64 season.

In 15 NBA seasons with Syracuse and Philadelphia, he averaged 18.5 points, 12.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 34.4 minutes per game, shooting 38 percent from the floor and 84.9 percent at the line.

He coached the 76ers for three seasons, going 129-111 and 9-12 in the playoffs, earning Coach of the Year honors in 1965-66 … just before he was fired from the job.

Schayes returned to coaching in 1970 as the first coach of the expansion Buffalo Braves and was 22-61, resigning one game into the 1971-72 season.

He is 26th in NBA history with 11,256 rebounds and 16th with an average of 12.1 rebounds per game.

Named to the NBA’s 25th Anniversary Team in 1971 and the 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996, Schayes was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1973.

He died on Dec. 10, 2015, at the age of 87.

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