Sixers great and NBA Hall of Famer Hal Greer dies at 81

ESPN logo
Tuesday, April 17, 2018

PHILADELPHIA -- Hal Greer, a Hall of Fame guard and the Philadelphia 76ers' career leading scorer, has died after a brief illness, the team announced. He was 81.

Greer starred on the Wilt Chamberlain-led Sixers team that went 68-13 and won the 1966-67 NBA championship.

During the Sixers' 1966-67 title run, Greer averaged a team-high 27.7 points over 15 playoff games and helped Philadelphia dethrone the reigning eight-year champion Boston Celtics.

The Sixers honored Greer before their playoff game against the Miami Heat on Monday night with a moment of silence. They are wearing a patch on their uniforms with Greer's No. 15. He was the first Sixer to have his number retired.

Greer spent 15 seasons with the Syracuse Nationals and Philadelphia 76ers and finished his career with a franchise-record 21,586 points. He's also the 76ers' career leader in field goals, field goals attempted, games and minutes played.

Greer was the first player to be honored with a sculpture on 76ers Legends Walk at the team training complex in 2017.

Greer was named to 10 straight All-Star Games and earned All-Star Game MVP honors in 1968. He earned a spot on the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996.

He played at Marshall and was the 13th overall pick by the Nationals in the 1958 draft.Greer was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.

The Sixers said Greer died Saturday night in Arizona after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife Mayme, a son and two daughters.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.