A look back at the greatest Sixers players in history | Sports Daily Newsletter

As the latest iteration of the 76ers embarks on another playoff journey, it’s time for a look back at the best players in franchise history.

Some of the nicknames are probably coming to mind immediately: The Stilt. Dr. J. The Round Mound of Rebound. The Answer. The Process.

Who is the earliest Sixers star you remember? When did you first fall in love with Philadelphia’s basketball team? It’s likely many of these names come up in those memories.

Or perhaps not.

If, after his Saturday performance against the Raptors, you’re thinking Tyrese Maxey belongs on this list, you might be a more recent fan of the team who could learn a lot about those who have impacted the organization greatly in the past. Check out our all-time rankings.

— Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport

Tell us which player you believe should be on the top Sixers list who wasn’t included: sports.daily@inquirer.com

The Eagles wouldn’t draft a wide receiver in the first round for a third straight year, would they? With two first-round picks, there’d be plenty of talent available for them if they chose to do so, and good wideouts in the later rounds as well. Our draft expert EJ Smith has a look at the wide receiver class and how some prospects could fit the Eagles.

The Phillies dropped three of four games in their first road series of the season over the weekend in Miami. Other than Saturday’s 10-3 victory, the Phillies’ bats struggled, although there were some good signs on Sunday. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber appear to be heating up again. Harper went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a solo home run on Sunday batting in the second spot in the lineup. Harper has at least one hit in five of his last six games. Schwarber, who entered the game batting .094, went 2-for-4 with a solo home run on Sunday, a shot that left his bat at 104.4 mph and traveled 392 feet.

The Schwarber leadoff strategy has been replaced with giving J.T. Realmuto a shot atop the order.

Next: The Phillies open a three-game series against the Rockies in Denver at 8:40 p.m. Monday. Aaron Nola will start against Rockies right-hander Chad Kuhl (NBCSP+).

All season we have referred to Joel Embiid as an MVP contender as he performed at an All-NBA level night in and night out. Now we can officially call him a finalist after the league announced the top three contenders for each of its end-of-season awards.

Embiid put together a special season, averaging 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists and becoming the first big man to win the league’s scoring title since Shaquille O’Neal. However, Embiid will still have stiff competition from Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.

But Embiid’s case remains as strong as anyone’s, and he still has a chance to become the first MVP in Philly since Allen Iverson won the award in 2001.

The Sixers took a 1-0 series lead over the Toronto Raptors with a 131-111 win on Saturday, and James Harden was right in the thick of it.

Next: The Sixers host the Raptors in Game 2 at 7:30 p.m. Monday (TNT, NBCSP).

For the second night in a row, the Flyers fell to the Buffalo Sabres, this time with a 5-3 loss at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday.

Next: The Flyers head to Toronto to play the Maple Leafs on Tuesday at 7 p.m. (NBCSP).

Well, it finally happened. The last undefeated team in Major League Soccer this season, the Union, lost. The disappointment of the moment was magnified by the milestone denied the club — of bringing its overall regular season record to over .500 for the first time in the organization’s history.

Jonathan Tannenwald notes other issues for the Union, including trying to get new star striker Mikael Uhre off the scoring starting block. Manager Jim Curtin will also be unhappy about the Union’s normally reliable defense falling short of expectations. Speaking of which, the expected goals analytic can sometimes be a false sense of how well a team played, especially when the final score is the ultimate judge.

Philadelphia goes Hollywood: If you’re watching Winning Time, you might be surprised by the number of connections the series has to Philly, including former Lakers coach Paul Westhead.

Philly hoops convert: A natural athlete sometimes has options in different sports, and yet to truly excel, talent has to be molded by experience. The Philly basketball scene is a teacher like no other.

Absolutely should be in the Hall. The Phillies were the worst team in baseball before he arrived in 1964. He should have been MVP in 1964. —Daniel W.

When he came up to bat, you would not leave the TV. His homers were legendary. — Michael R.

If you often saw Allen play, you know he belongs in HOF. If you poll his playing peers, especially the great ones, they will tell you he is a HOFer. If he had been brought up in any other organization, his career stats would have him ranked in the top 10 of all time. — Bill D.

Longtime Phillies play-by-play announcer, the late Harry Kalas, made what is probably his most memorable call ever on April 18, 1987, when future Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt hit his 500th career home run.

“Swing and a long drive, there it is, number 500! The career 500th home run for Michael Jack Schmidt!”

Schmidt’s No. 20 was retired by the Phillies in 1990.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Keith Pompey, Marcus Hayes, Gina Mizell, Alex Coffey, Giana Han, EJ Smith, David Murphy, Jonathan Tannenwald, Christian Red, and Joey Piatt.