It’s summertime in the NBA, so it’s time to learn some history. The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the older franchises in the NBA. Their history dates to the 1949-50 season.
With that longevity, the team has had hundreds of players come through the City of Brotherly Love. Sixers Wire looks at the No. 17 which has been worn by 11 of those players in the history of the franchise.
This running series will go through all of the uniform numbers worn in franchise history. The previous edition of this series was a list compiling the six players who have worn the No. 18.
Here is the list of the 11 who have worn No. 17 in Sixers history:
Wally Osterkorn, 1951-1952
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Osterkorn wore two numbers in the 1951-52 season, 8 and 17, and he averaged 7.4 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Syracuse Nationals. He wore No. 8 in the other three seasons he played in the league.
Jim Neal, 1953-1954
Neal played 67 games for the Nationals while donning the No. 17, and he averaged 4.7 points and 3.8 rebounds in those games.
Jim Tucker, 1954-1957
Tucker played in 99 games in his NBA career, all with the Nationals, and he averaged 4.1 points and 3.5 rebounds in those games.
Togo Palazzi, 1957-1960
AP Photo/Charles Krupa
Known more for his time with the Boston Celtics, Palazzi played 187 games for the Nationals, and he averaged 8.9 points and 3.8 rebounds. He wore two uniform numbers for Syracuse, 6 and 17.
Albert King, 1987-1988
AP Photo/Ray Stubblebine
King, donning 55 and playing for the New Jersey Nets against the Sixers, played one season in Philadelphia, and he averaged 7.2 points and 3 rebounds in the 1987-88 season.
Charles Shackleford, 1992-1993
Shackleford played two seasons for Philadelphia, and he wore two numbers in those seasons. He wore No. 17 in the 1992-93 season, and he averaged 4 points and 4.3 rebounds.
Casper Ware, 2013-2014
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Ware only played nine games, and he averaged 5.3 points and 1.1 assists.
JJ Redick, 2017-2019
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Redick played two very successful seasons in Philadelphia, and he averaged 17.6 points and shot 40.7% from deep. He left to join the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Sixers really missed his 3-point shooting.
Vincent Poirier, 2020-2021
Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Poirer played only 10 games for Philadelphia, and he averaged 0.8 points and 1.4 rebounds before being waived. He expressed disappointment that coach Doc Rivers did not give him a chance.
Ignas Brazdeikis, 2021
AP Photo/Chris Szagola
Brazdeikis played one game for the Sixers, and he pulled down two rebounds in that game.
Braxton Key, 2022
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Key played two games for Philadelphia before he joined the Detroit Pistons and received a bigger opportunity.
