The 1952-53 season marked the Philadelphia 76ers’ first year in the NBA, as they moved from Syracuse and adopted their new identity. Coached by Al Cervi, the team struggled to find its footing in the competitive league. The 76ers finished the regular season with a 27-44 record, placing them fourth in the Eastern Division and out of playoff contention.
Despite the challenging season, standout performances came from players like Dolph Schayes, who was instrumental in both scoring and rebounding, making him a key figure for the team. The 76ers’ defense showed potential but needed more consistency to compete with the top teams of the era. The franchise used this inaugural season in Philadelphia as a building block, setting the stage for future improvements and successes in subsequent years.
- Regular Season Record: 47-24
- Playoff Result: Division Semifinals: 0-2
Philadelphia 76ers Roster and Stats for 1952-53 Season
Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
Dolph Schayes | 71 | 17.8 | 5.9 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 9.0 | 8.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Paul Seymour | 67 | 14.2 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 18.0 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
George King | 71 | 11.2 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 11.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Red Rocha | 69 | 11.1 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 15.5 | 7.0 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Bill Gabor | 69 | 9.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 9.0 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Earl Lloyd | 64 | 7.4 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 7.5 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Noble Jorgensen | 70 | 6.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 7.0 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Wally Osterkorn | 49 | 5.6 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Bill Calhoun | 13 | 4.9 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Al Cervi | 38 | 3.8 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 9.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Bob Lochmueller | 62 | 3.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Jim Brasco | 10 | 3.3 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |

Philadelphia 76ers in the 1953 NBA Playoffs
Playoffs Second Round vs. Syracuse Nationals
Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
---|---|---|---|
Mar 19, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | W 87-81 | |
Mar 21, 1953 | @ Boston Celtics | L 111-105 |

Philadelphia 76ers 1952-53 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 1952-53 season for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
---|---|---|---|
Nov 01, 1952 | @ Philadelphia Warriors | L 86-84 | |
Nov 02, 1952 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 117-91 | |
Nov 08, 1952 | @ Boston Celtics | L 106-83 | |
Nov 09, 1952 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 96-89 | |
Nov 13, 1952 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 96-81 | |
Nov 15, 1952 | @ Baltimore Bullets | L 97-91 | |
Nov 16, 1952 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 84-78 | |
Nov 20, 1952 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 92-73 | |
Nov 22, 1952 | @ New York Knicks | L 98-68 | |
Nov 23, 1952 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 76-73 | |
Nov 27, 1952 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 86-79 | |
Nov 29, 1952 | @ Baltimore Bullets | W 87-74 | |
Nov 30, 1952 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 78-66 | |
Dec 04, 1952 | @ Fort Wayne Pistons | W 78-70 | |
Dec 06, 1952 | @ Philadelphia Warriors | W 82-74 | |
Dec 07, 1952 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 71-67 | |
Dec 08, 1952 | @ Milwaukee Hawks | L 101-89 | |
Dec 09, 1952 | @ Indianapolis Olympians | W 87-70 | |
Dec 11, 1952 | @ Minneapolis Lakers | L 82-79 | |
Dec 14, 1952 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 102-83 | |
Dec 16, 1952 | @ New York Knicks | L 98-93 | |
Dec 18, 1952 | @ Boston Celtics | L 88-83 | |
Dec 20, 1952 | @ Boston Celtics | L 91-77 | |
Dec 21, 1952 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 90-86 | |
Dec 25, 1952 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 102-92 | |
Dec 27, 1952 | @ Baltimore Bullets | W 81-76 | |
Dec 28, 1952 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 84-73 | |
Dec 30, 1952 | @ Rochester Royals | L 106-93 | |
Dec 31, 1952 | @ Boston Celtics | L 97-87 | |
Jan 01, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 92-78 | |
Jan 03, 1953 | @ New York Knicks | L 85-77 | |
Jan 04, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 93-68 | |
Jan 07, 1953 | @ New York Knicks | W 114-93 | |
Jan 08, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 75-67 | |
Jan 10, 1953 | @ Philadelphia Warriors | W 87-77 | |
Jan 11, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 76-72 | |
Jan 15, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 109-85 | |
Jan 18, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 103-84 | |
Jan 22, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 87-75 | |
Jan 24, 1953 | @ Rochester Royals | W 107-82 | |
Jan 25, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | W 97-62 | |
Jan 27, 1953 | @ Indianapolis Olympians | L 76-72 | |
Jan 29, 1953 | @ Minneapolis Lakers | W 83-65 | |
Jan 30, 1953 | @ Milwaukee Hawks | L 84-68 | |
Feb 01, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 94-79 | |
Feb 02, 1953 | @ Baltimore Bullets | W 98-77 | |
Feb 04, 1953 | @ Boston Celtics | L 105-92 | |
Feb 05, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 83-79 | |
Feb 08, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 98-89 | |
Feb 11, 1953 | @ Fort Wayne Pistons | L 96-78 | |
Feb 12, 1953 | @ Minneapolis Lakers | L 91-81 | |
Feb 13, 1953 | @ Indianapolis Olympians | W 89-86 | |
Feb 15, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | W 85-81 | |
Feb 17, 1953 | @ Boston Celtics | W 84-65 | |
Feb 19, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 82-72 | |
Feb 21, 1953 | @ Rochester Royals | L 84-73 | |
Feb 22, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 86-73 | |
Feb 24, 1953 | @ Philadelphia Warriors | W 74-63 | |
Feb 26, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 89-77 | |
Feb 28, 1953 | @ Baltimore Bullets | L 77-74 | |
Mar 01, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 79-64 | |
Mar 03, 1953 | @ Milwaukee Hawks | L 75-70 | |
Mar 04, 1953 | @ Fort Wayne Pistons | W 75-73 | |
Mar 05, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 94-91 | |
Mar 06, 1953 | @ New York Knicks | L 75-66 | |
Mar 07, 1953 | @ Philadelphia Warriors | L 88-87 | |
Mar 08, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 98-91 | |
Mar 12, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 84-70 | |
Mar 14, 1953 | @ New York Knicks | W 95-81 | |
Mar 15, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 84-68 | |
Mar 17, 1953 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 72-68 |