When the 76ers take the floor for NBA action in October, their roster will have an asset it hasn’t had in a long time.
Championship experience.
With the acquisitions of Jaylen Brown, LeBron James and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Sixers add proven players who have been to multiple NBA Finals and won titles.
Caldwell-Pope joins Philly as a 13-year veteran with two NBA championships to his name. One of those came with James on the Lakers, whom he now reunites with on the 76ers. Brown played for a title twice, in 2022 and 2024, capturing the Larry O’Brien in the latter attempt. James holds the most experience on the team by a landslide. The 41-year-old has made the Finals an astounding 10 times, winning four of those trips.
Each player endured some level of tribulations en route to the mountaintop. Knowing how to weather the storms when they inevitably come is what separates the good from the great. It is also what the trio has mastered.
In early January 2022, the season of Brown’s first NBA Finals appearance, his Celtics found themselves in the 11th seed. Boston was stumbling down the standings, with the team facing more questions than answers. Suddenly, a Celtics team that had immense pressure to win a title was on the brink of missing the postseason altogether.
Boston spearheaded one of the most remarkable second-half season turnarounds, going 33-10 the rest of the way to earn the second seed. Though the Celtics went on to lose the championship to the Warriors, their resilience and mental fortitude are qualities the Sixers can learn from on their journey.
There will inevitably be moments during the season when Philly experiences some hardship—a losing streak, injuries, or internal locker-room disconnects. How they navigate their way around those obstacles will dictate where the team goes.
Brown witnessed how close the line is between wins and losses. The Celtics’ championship team in 2024 had their backs against the wall several times again. In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Boston faced an 18-point deficit against the Pacers. The Celtics pulled off a stunning comeback, walking the game down to the final minutes. It is in moments of adversity that the stakes are drastically heightened. Errors are magnified, and every stop or made bucket feels enormous.
The game came down to several plays in the clutch. The Celtics were up one with nine seconds remaining. The Pacers had the ball. Andrew Nembhard hastily rushed the ball up the court, scrambling to create space with Jrue Holiday glued to him. Holiday swiped at the ball, forcing the Pacers into a costly turnover. The steal ultimately sealed the Celtics’ road win and helped them take a 3-0 series lead.
Before Game 3, the Pacers had been undefeated at home. With Tyrese Haliburton out nursing a hamstring injury, several players stepped up for Indiana to keep them competitive. The Celtics’ ability to stay calm in the midst of chaos was the difference-maker between whether they spiraled after going down 18 or bounced back.
“Those guys made a ton of baskets, a ton of shots,” Brown said following that game. “They were feeling great at home, the crowd was into it. They haven’t lost a game at home up until this point, so that was a great win for us.”
Ahead of Brown’s second trip to the Finals that year, the painful memory of his 2022 defeat was still stuck in his mind. The first appearance taught him the importance of remaining hungry and never getting complacent. The Celtics took a 2-1 lead against the Warriors before Golden State rattled off three straight to take the title.
“Just can’t take your foot off the gas,” Brown said about what that series taught him.
“We’ve been in that position before where you get comfortable. And you just value every win. It’s hard to win in the playoffs no matter who you’re playing. We just value one game at a time, whatever it takes.”
KCP’s championship pedigree
Caldwell-Pope played a crucial role in winning both his championship rings—with the Lakers in 2020 and the Nuggets in 2023.
In Denver, the Nuggets went up 2-0 on the Phoenix Suns in the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals. The Suns then tied up the series, keeping the Nuggets on edge heading into Game 5. Ultimately, Denver won the series in six games and went on to win the championship.
As one of the team’s veteran players, KCP constantly brought encouraging energy to the team. When the going got rough throughout the season, he was a calming presence in the locker room. His strong work ethic also set the standard for the rest of the roster. As the only player on the team with a championship to his name, players looked to him for leadership.
“He’s just the ultimate leader, ultimate professional, comes in every day and works extremely hard, holds everyone accountable,” then-teammate Bruce Brown said.
One thing Brown and KCP share is their steady nature during turbulent times. Caldwell-Pope made it a point to relay the importance of staying even-keeled to his Nuggets teammates.
“I do it vocally, just talking, bringing that championship mentality that I have to my team now, and just tell them in moments like if they go on a run, it’s not the end of the day,” KCP expressed.
Even his MVP teammate Nikola Jokic respected the championship pedigree he brought to the table. His high IQ being in the right places at the right time stood out most to Jokic.
“Yes, he won a championship, but the best thing about KCP is he knows exactly what to do and where to be. … He always does what he’s supposed to do, and I think that’s the best way to describe him,” he praised.
During Caldwell-Pope’s first title run in the 2020 bubble season, the Lakers faced little adversity in their playoff matchups. The Lakers conquered each of their first three rounds in just five games. Still, each series was an opportunity to grow and improve for the next one.
Caldwell-Pope’s first Finals came during the dawn of ‘Playoff Jimmy’. Jimmy Butler’s infamous 2020 playoff tear kept the Lakers locked in, with the former Heat star putting up 30-point triple-doubles in the series. Butler single-handedly kept the Heat afloat without Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragić. But in the end, he ran out of gas. The Lakers’ relentless defense and palpable chemistry helped withstand Butler’s avalanche, earning KCP his first championship ring.
Sixers have the blueprint
James undoubtedly carries the most experience of the three champs, having seen everything under the sun in his 23-year career. He got swept in his first Finals by the legendary San Antonio Spurs and mounted one of the greatest comebacks in 2013.
Each player gained valuable insight from both victories and shortcomings, growing as leaders and understanding what it takes to win it all. Collectively, they are the most experienced among any other 76ers player. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, the longest-tenured Sixers, have never made it past the second round in their careers.
There is no greater teacher in life than experience. The aforementioned champions have climbed a mountain that Philly hasn’t conquered in 43 years.
The 76ers will have to go through their own set of challenges throughout the season. But if one thing is true, they have the players to do it successfully.
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