The 2020–21 Philadelphia 76ers season was the 72nd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 76ers replaced Brett Brown, with former Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers on October 3. In the shortened season (72 games instead of the normal 82) due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 76ers finished the regular season at 49–23 which was first place in the Eastern Conference, one game ahead of the Brooklyn Nets. This was the first time since the 2000–01 club did so with a 56–26 record.
In the opening round of the playoffs, the Sixers defeated the Washington Wizards in five games. In the conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks, the 76ers would lose in seven games which included a squandered 26-point lead in Game 5.
Draft picks
Before the start of the 2020 NBA draft period, the 76ers' first-round selection (held by the Oklahoma City Thunder) was originally held stuck as the 22nd selection (while their own pick they traded to the Brooklyn Nets was held at #20) before the NBA suspended their season on March 12, 2020. However, with the 76ers resuming their prior season in the 2020 NBA Bubble, it left them chances to lose or gain ground for this draft period. Due to tiebreakers, the 76ers received the #21 pick from the Thunder, while the Nets gained the #19 pick. They also gained four second-round selections for this draft, including their own pick at #49, through trades involving the Atlanta Hawks, the New York Knicks, and the Orlando Magic via the Los Angeles Lakers.
Roster
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Standings
Atlantic division
Conference standings
Notes
z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
y – Clinched division title
x – Clinched playoff spot
pb – Clinched play-in spot
o – Eliminated from playoff contention
* – Division leader
Game log
Preseason
|- style="background:#cfc;" | 1 | December 15 | Boston | | Shake Milton (19) | Tobias Harris (9) | Ben Simmons (6) | Wells Fargo Center0 | 1–0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2 | December 18 | @ Indiana | | Shake Milton (15) | Tony Bradley (6) | Ben Simmons (8) | Bankers Life Fieldhouse0 | 2–0
Regular season
|- style="background:#cfc;" | 1 | December 23 | Washington | | Joel Embiid (29) | Joel Embiid (14) | Ben Simmons (7) | Wells Fargo Center0 | 1–0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2 | December 26 | @ New York | | Joel Embiid (27) | Joel Embiid (10) | Ben Simmons (6) | Madison Square Garden0 | 2–0 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 3 | December 27 | @ Cleveland | | Tobias Harris (16) | Tobias Harris (9) | Tobias Harris (5) | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse300 | 2–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 4 | December 29 | Toronto | | Joel Embiid (29) | Joel Embiid (16) | Ben Simmons (7) | Wells Fargo Center0 | 3–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 5 | December 31 | @ Orlando | | Joel Embiid (21) | Ben Simmons (10) | Ben Simmons (8) | Amway Center3,247 | 4–1