The 1996–97 NBA season was the 76ers 48th season in the National Basketball Association, and 34th season in Philadelphia. This season is most memorable when the 76ers won the Draft Lottery, and selected point guard Allen Iverson out of Georgetown University with the first overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft. After two seasons at Georgetown, Iverson would quickly established himself as one of the premier point guards in the NBA. During the off-season, the Sixers signed free agents Don MacLean, Mark Davis, Lucious Harris, and Michael Cage. Under new head coach Johnny Davis, the Sixers played around .500 in November with a 7–8 start to the season. However, they struggled and lost 23 of their next 24 games, including 10 and 13-game losing streaks posted respectively. The Sixers lost ten of thei