Philadelphia, PA
- In this guide, we’re exploring five players that had a short spell playing for the 76ers. This is a fun game to play in bars and with your friends, remembering players that you had almost forgotten played for your team. Sometimes it is easy for it to slip through your memory after you have had a player on your team for just a year or two. Let’s dive into some of the players that will make you say: “Oh yeah, I forgot he played for those guys.
Todd MacCulloch
Todd MacCulloch is a player you may have forgotten played for the 76ers, or you might have forgotten he played the sport at all. Betway Insider has created an interesting blog about the influence of the Canadian contingent that made their way over into the NBA, with some incredible talent coming from north of the border and revolutionizing the game. Who knows what Todd might have achieved if he had the time to; his sad early retirement may have robbed him of the recognition he deserved.
MacCulloch played center for the Philadelphia 76ers for two short stints, as well as playing for the New Jersey Nets. He was never a mainstay, but he clearly had talent. He was also seven feet tall, the same size as Joel Embiid. Sadly, he was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which meant that he had to retire very early.
Interestingly, MacCulloch had a change of career after playing basketball when he switched to playing pinball.
Billy Owens
Billy Owens is another player who showed a huge amount of promise, even playing for the USA at the Olympics before his career was cut short.
A lot of people remember him for his time with the Golden State Warriors. He was 6’8” and played as a forward. He was selected by the Sacramento Kings before a trade to the Warriors in exchange for Mitch Richmond. There he would flourish and average over 15 points before being included in the NBA All-Rookie First Team selection back in 1992.
He averaged 5.9 points a game in a short spell with the 76ers and had to retire early as injuries took their toll.
Keith Van Horn
Another player who had a short stint was Keith Van Horn. He was even traded as part of the deal that brought in Todd MacCulloch. He was included in the NBA All-Rookie First Team 1998 before the deal.
Van Horn was a huge power forward and made an instant impact, helping the 76ers reach the postseason before eventually being eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference. He averaged 15.9 points per game and 7.1 rebounds, which was mighty impressive, but he wasn’t with the 76ers for long. He was traded to the New York Knicks for Latrell Sprewell after just one year.
Bob McAdoo
This five-time All-Star did not have his best times with the 76ers, but his career was coming to an end at this point, at least within the US.
It was January 31st, 1986, when McAdoo signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers. In just one year, he played 29 games, averaging 10.1 points and even famously signing off with seven points and four rebounds in 12 minutes of time on the court in the semifinals of the playoffs in a narrow 76ers loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Bob McAdoo is considered to be a legend in the world of basketball, even though his time at the 76ers isn’t the reason he’s in all the Hall of Fame conversations.
Nikola Vucevic
Plenty of people have forgotten about this stint. The current Chicago Bulls star was actually with the 76ers for a year much earlier in his career. Safe to say he hadn’t truly hit the heights then, but he showed promise.
After signing a rookie deal, he announced himself on the scene on February 22nd, 2012, when he managed an impressive 18 points against the Houston Rockets.
The 76ers traded him to Orlando Magic, which they may well have lived to regret seeing how his career panned out.
Summary
The 76ers have had some impressive professionals, and some of the players on this list may be people you’ve totally forgotten about. It is crazy to think that some of these names were ever with the 76ers, and legends like McAdoo and Vucevic certainly aren’t remembered for their time wearing the jersey.
