The saying goes you have to dress for the job you want and not the one you have.
With the Sixers' sights set on getting back to the NBA promised land, they first had to address their on-court attire.
The Sixers unveiled their new uniforms Thursday night in front of fans and star-studded team alumni at the Wells Fargo Center. The three new uniforms have base colors of white at home, blue on the road and a red alternate. The finer details of the unis lend themselves to the franchise's past great teams and players Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving and Billy Cunningham.
"1967, 1977 and 1983. We're blending all three uniforms for the current look," Sixers broadcaster Marc Zumoff announced to the crowd.
The biggest change is the name Sixers has been ditched from the chest of the home and road uniforms for "PHILA," which dates back to the 1966-67 championship team headlined by Chamberlain. The red alternates still sport Sixers on the front and are reminiscent of those worn by the Erving-led 1982-83 champs.
All three uniforms have a column of stars down each side of the jerseys and shorts (seven on one side and six on the other) to represent the 1976-77 look in part designed by Cunningham.
Each uniform also has a patch that says "PHILA TOUGH" at the bottom of the jersey as a nod to the city and fans. Plus, all three looks contain a red, white and blue neckline worn by the '82-83 team, the 13-star circular ring on the front of the waistband and the partial primary logo of a 76ers basketball on the shorts.
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"This organization is blessed with an incredible, rich history and tradition of this franchise," Sixers CE0 Scott O'Neil said in a video on the team's website. "If you look at the height of the eras, the eras that make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, the eras that kind of break through and change the game of basketball. Wilt, Billy Cunningham years, Dr. J., we took the best of each of those uniforms and blended them together to what they will become."
Current players Robert Covington, Jerami Grant and Hollis Thompson modeled the new uniforms at the event as a glimpse of what the franchise's legends hope is a bright future for a deserving fan base.
"The city is great. Y'all just love the team," Moses Malone said to loud applause from a podium of greats that included Allen Iverson and Billy Cunningham among others. Y'all were great fans [when I played here] and you're still great. I wish you the best and keep the team going."
Exactly where the team is headed remains to be seen amid the massive rebuild, but the organization hopes the uniforms are just part of the road map back to the top of the league.
"And why is now the right time is probably a question we should be asking," O'Neil said. "It's because we're here. We're right on the cusp of something really special. We're about to break through, and we think it's time to blend the past and the present as we look toward the future right now."
