2008–09 Philadelphia 76ers season
The 2008–09 Philadelphia 76ers season was the 70th season of the franchise, 60th in the National Basketball Association. The team finished with a.500 record.
The only two things memorable about the season is that the team went back to the classic uniform style the team wore in the 1980s, and the Sixers defeated the Chicago Bulls in a game played at The Spectrum, the team's home from 1967–1996.
The team signed Elton Brand to a 5-year $79 million dollar contract.
Key dates
- June 26: The 2008 NBA draft took place in New York City.
- July 1: The free agency period started.
- July 9: Signed 2-time All-Star PF Elton Brand.
- October 8: The Sixers' preseason started with a game against the Boston Celtics.
- October 29: The Sixers' regular season started with a game against the Toronto Raptors.
- December 13: The Sixers fired head coach Maurice Cheeks after a 9–14 start and appoint Assistant general manager Tony DiLeo as interim head coach.
- March 13: The Sixers played their last game at the Wachovia Spectrum against the Chicago Bulls.
- April 4: The Sixers clinched a playoff berth to the 2009 NBA Playoffs.
- April 30: The Sixers were eliminated from the 2009 NBA Playoffs with their game 6 loss to Orlando Magic finishing the series 4–2.
Summary
2008 NBA draft
On June 26, the Sixers selected power forward/center Marreese Speights from Florida with the 16th overall pick. Their second round pick was previously traded to the Utah Jazz on June 7, 2009 for a second round pick in the 2009 NBA draft.Free Agency
The Sixers headed into the off-season with free agents Louis Amundson, Calvin Booth, Herbert Hill, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Ollie, Shavlik Randolph and Louis Williams.On June 24, the Sixers extended qualifying offers to key restricted free agents Andre Iguodala and Louis Williams. The Sixers brought in Atlanta Hawks restricted free agent Josh Smith on July 3 for a tour of Philadelphia but left the city without signing an offer sheet.
On July 9 after denouncing their rights to their unrestricted free agents, and trading Rodney Carney and Calvin Booth, the Sixers signed 2-time NBA All-Star Power Forward Elton Brand of the Los Angeles Clippers to a 5-year contract reportedly worth 78–82 Million dollars.
After the Brand signing, the first weeks of July were quiet in terms of free agency. Rumors spread that key restricted free agents Andre Iguodala and Louis Williams were being pursued by the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors respectively.
On July 24 it was announced by Philly.com that the Sixers had come to terms with Point Guard Royal Ivey of the Milwaukee Bucks for a 2-year league minimum contract. The deal was finalized and signed on Monday July 28.
Also on July 28, Philly.com released that the Sixers had come to terms with Shooting Guard Kareem Rush of the Indiana Pacers. The deal was finalized and signed on Tuesday July 29.
After news reports stated that Louis Williams rejected a $3.9M deal from the Sixers and he was talking to the Cleveland Cavaliers, he signed a 5-year deal on July 31.
On August 12, ESPN announced that the 76ers had come to terms with restricted free agent Andre Iguodala on a reported 6-year 80 million dollar deal. After several days, it was officially announced on August 18 that Iguodala had signed the deal.
On August 19 Philly.com announced that veteran backup big man Theo Ratliff had agreed to terms on veterans league minimum 1 year 1.4 million dollar deal with the 76ers. Ratliff had previously played with Philadelphia from 1997–2001. Ratliff was named an All-Star in 2001, but was unable to play because of an injury.
On September 1, 2008 following his placement on waivers Donyell Marshall agreed to terms with the Philadelphia 76ers for a one-year contract for the league minimum $1,262,275. The story was first reported by The Philadelphia Daily News
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
| 1 | 16 | Marreese Speights | Power Forward | United States | Florida |
Roster
Regular season
Standings
Game log
Playoffs
First Round
In the first round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs, the sixth seeded Philadelphia 76ers were paired with the third seed Southeast Division champions and eventual Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic in a best-of-seven series. The Sixers managed to split the series with the Magic at two games a piece after four games, but the Magic went on to win what would be the final two games of the series to eliminate the Sixers.Game log
Player statistics
Season
Playoffs
Awards and records
Awards
- Thaddeus Young was selected as a member of the sophomore team in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge on All-Star Weekend.
Records
Injuries and surgeries
- August 7: Jason Smith tore his ACL at an offseason Las Vegas NBA Camp.
- February 5: Elton Brand tore the labrum of his right shoulder and it was announced that he would undergo season ending surgery on February 9.
Transactions
Trades
Free agents
Additions
| Player | Signed | Former team |
| Elton Brand | July 9 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Royal Ivey | July 28 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Kareem Rush | July 29 | Indiana Pacers |
| Theo Ratliff | August 19 | Detroit Pistons |
| Donyell Marshall | September 1 | Seattle SuperSonics via Oklahoma City Thunder |