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Sixers Arena Gets Prelimanary Approval From City Council

The Sixers caused quite a stir a couple of years back when they first announced their plans to build an arena in Center City. After sharing a building for so…

CAMDEN, NJ - SEPTEMBER 13: Owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, Joshua Harris, speaks at the podium prior to the team unveiling a sculpture to honor Charles Barkley at their practice facility on September 13, 2019 in Camden, New Jersey. Sixers Arena

CAMDEN, NJ – SEPTEMBER 13: Owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, Joshua Harris, speaks at the podium prior to the team unveiling a sculpture to honor Charles Barkley at their practice facility on September 13, 2019 in Camden, New Jersey. Sixers

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

The Sixers caused quite a stir a couple of years back when they first announced their plans to build an arena in Center City. After sharing a building for so long with the Flyers, they wanted their own home, and they wanted it to be in the middle of the city, not in the South Philly Sports complex.

But the plan was not final. They still needed approval from the City to build one in the Market East Area. They got past the first hurdle a few months back when they won the approval of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker.

But today, they got past an even more significant one, winning approval from the City Council. Council members convened Thursday morning to vote on giving the Sixers preliminary approval, and the vote passed in favor of the Sixers by a margin of 12 to 4.

Sixers Arena Proposal Passes Despite Loud Opposition

The plan had strong opposition from representatives from Chinatown, which the new arena will be adjacent to, and from many who live in the city concerned about the disruption construction will cause, and that the arena itself will cause. Even during this vote, there was loud opposition from protestors, but in the end, the City Council sided with the Sixers and the Mayor.

A final sticking point was the size of the team's Community Benefits Agreement, a payout that is intended to help ease the burden of the project on the surrounding Neighborhood. The Sixers Proposed $50 million, but those in opposition countered $100 million, with some asking for up to $300 million. The final agreement has the Sixers paying $60 million.

The Sixers are promising to self-fund the billion-dollar project. However, there are concerns about their plans to rely on Septa. The Arena will be built right over the top of Jefferson Station, which in theory would make it easy to take public transit to the game in the same way people do for the Knicks or Nets.

But the state of Philly Public Transit, and many people's current unwillingness to use it, has cast doubts on that plan. Septa itself has raised concerns about its current ability to handle that increased traffic, claiming the arena could raise its costs by up to $20 million annually. But whether those concerns are valid or not, the Arena is being built.

It is not completely finalized, hence the word preliminary. There still needs to be a final vote on what is currently scheduled for December 19th. But it passing this vote today all but guarantees 76 Place, as they are currently calling it, will eventually be built.

They plan to open the new arena for the 2031 season when their lease at the Wells Fargo Center will be up. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026.

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A Cup of Coffee: 10 Philadelphia Sixers Players Better Known With Other Teams

The Philadelphia Sixers have had some legends come through town. You can go back to Wilt Chamberlain and Hal Grier. You have guys like Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and eventually Charles Barkley. Then there was Allen Iverson. And now Joel Embiid can be considered a legendary player himself. Even if his story is still being written.

But this article is not about those guys. Today we are going to talk about the guys whose Sixers careers were far less memorable. Even though they may be well-known names elsewhere in the NBA. The guys on this list merely had a cup of coffee with the Sixers.

Some of them are Hall of Famers. Others are infamous busts who had a pit stop in Philadelphia. Some guys started their careers here but went on to accomplish greater things elsewhere. Others had their cup of coffee here after they were well past their prime. None of them, are known for what they did with the Sixers though. At least not in a good way.

We picked 10 guys whose names most NBA fans would recognize, who made a pit stop at some point in Philly. Who made the list? Find out below.

You Can See Which Players Only Had a"A Cup of Coffee" With the Other 3 Philly Teams Here:

We did the same experiment with the other 3 teams too. So below you can see players who had a cup of coffee with the Phillies, Flyers, and Eagles.

    Here are 10 Players Who Had a Cup Of Coffee With the Philadelphia Sixers, But Are Better Known With Other Teams:

    Bob McAdoo

    McAdoo is a legendary player. He made the Hall of Fame, won MVP, and is a two-time champion. Do you remember when he finished out his career with the Sixers?

    McAdoo signed with the Sixers in January of 1986. He was not the same guy he once was, but he did average a little over 10 points between the regular season and the playoffs. It was his last stop in the NBA as a player. After that, he went overseas to play in Italy for a few seasons.

    Nikola Vucevic

    NEWARK, NJ - JUNE 23:  Nikola Vucevic from USC greets NBA Commissioner David Stern after he was selected #16 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round during the 2011 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center on June 23, 2011 in Newark, New Jersey.  (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

    Vucevic has had a nice career between the Magic and Bulls. But he started out as a rookie that Doug Collins refused to give too many minutes to. The next offseason after being drafted, he was part of the now infamous deal for Andrew Bynum. He went on to make two All-Star games. Bynum never played a minute for the Sixers.

    Kwame Brown

    DALLAS, TX - DECEMBER 18:  Kwame Brown #54 of the Philadelphia 76ers at American Airlines Center on December 18, 2012 in Dallas, Texas.  (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

    One of the most famous NBA busts had a cup of coffee with the Sixers. The Warriors sent him to the Bucks as part of the Andrew Bogut trade. The Bucks cut him soon after though. He signed a 2-year deal with the Sixers, but played in only 22 games and was cut before the second season of his contract. He nearly had as many personal fouls (37) as he did points (41) while with the Sixers. It was the last chance in the NBA he ever got.

    Glenn Robinson

    PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 25:  Glenn Robinson #31 of the Philadelphia 76ers and 76ers head coach Randy Ayers speak to the media during a press conference introducing him as a member of the 76ers on July 25, 2003 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. X(Photo by M. David Leeds/NBAE via Getty Images)

    The Sixers tried so hard to find the second scoring option behind Allen Iverson. One of the guys they tried, was Glenn Robinson. He was very good with the Bucks, usually averaging over 20 points per game. He was not bad with the Sixers, but he was not that same guy. He played just 42 games here and averaged 16 points per game. He was injured for his entire 2nd season here and then got traded.

    JaVale McGee

    INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 01:  JaVale McGee #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers prepares to rebound during the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 1, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana.(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

    McGee is perhaps best known for his frequent appearances on Shaqtin a Fool. Its gave him a bit of an unfair repuation. Did he make some bone headed plays in his career? Yes. But he was also a 3-time champion, an Olympic Gold Medalist, and a physical presence on defense.

    His time with the Sixers was know memorable at all though. The Nuggets shipped him here, along with a first round pick, and the rights to Chukwudiebere Maduabum, as a pure salary dump. He played just 6 games here.

    Toni Kucoc

    18 Feb 2000: Toni Kukoc #7 of the Philadelphia 76ers jogs on the court during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Cavaliers 104-75. Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger /Allsport

    Kucoc won 3 NBA Finals with the Bulls, was 6th Man of The Year in the 1995-1995 season, and won pretty much every award you can as a Basketball player when over in Europe. He was a significant piece of the Bulls second run of 3 straight championships. But he did not get much time with the Sixers.

    He was decent in the 1999 -2000 season, averaging 12 points per game. But the next season he was part of the trade that landed the Sixers Dikembe Motumbo. In the end, he played in only 80 total games here, averaging a little over 8 points per game.

    Willie Cauley-Stein

    Cauley-Stein never quite lived up to being the 6th overall pick out of Kentucky. He was by no means a bad player. He had some decent seasons as a physical defender. But he was never a star. His time in Philly was truly forgettable here. The Sixers signed him to a 10-day contract in the 2021-2022 season. But he only appeared in 2 games and scored 0 points. That was the last time he ever stepped onto an NBA court.

    Corey Brewer

    Brewer was only here for the span of two 10-day contracts. It was in the Jimmy Butler season, and they needed someone to fill in for Jimmy when he missed time. And Brewer brought them a ton of energy and hustle off the bench. My main memory is of his defense on James Harden. But they never signed him after the 2nd 10-Day contract expired, bringing is time in Philly to a quick end.

    Dwight Howard

    ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 14:  Dwight Howard #39 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts after a dunk against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half of game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at State Farm Arena on June 14, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.  (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

    Obviously we don’t forget he played here. It is too recent. But he will be one of those guys where we look back one day and go “Oh yea, he did play here.”. Howard was probably one of the best backups for Embiid. He only lasted one year here. And like so many backup bigs before him, he disappeared in the playoff.

    Chris Webber

    NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 26: Chris Webber #4 talks with Allen Iverson #3 of the Philadelphia 76ers talks in their game against the New York Knicks on November 26, 2005 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.  (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

    Not sure if anyone forgets his time here, so maybe it doesn't quite fit the brief. But Webber is a superstar, who had a disappointing cup of coffee in Philly. Webber was supposed to come here and finally be the guy to be AI’s Co-Star. It never quite worked out. He was injured for parts of his first season, had a decent first full season here, but then was benched in year 3.

    Dylan MacKinnon is The Digital Content Coordinator For 97.5 The Fanatic. he has been an Eagles, Flyers, Sixers, and Flyers fan his whole life. He graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelors in Journalism. Dylan has worked at the Fanatic since 2016, starting as an Intern, moving to the Street team, and eventually was hired as an Associate Producer before settling into his current role in the Digital Department. You may hear him referred to on-air as "The D-Train."