Today in Philly Sports History: Tom Chambers' Ten Minutes as a Sixer, 1997

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There was a time when Tom Chambers joining up with the Philadelphia 76ers would have been front page news. The 6'10" baller from Utah was one of the best power forwards in the league in the late 80s and early 90s, a four-time all-star, a 60-points-in-a-game scorer, and huge contributor to playoff teams in both Seattle, Phoenix and Utah. But by 1997, his finest days were somewhat behind him, and his arrival in Philadelphia (after a stint playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel) was met with little fanfare. Tommy didn't exactly earn much attention with his play, either, as he only made it in one game on November 26, 1997, for a grand total of ten minutes.

The Sixers were squaring off against the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by Shawn Kemp, Wesley Person, and a second-year Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Chambers, to his credit, took only two shots and made both of them, finishing his stay in Philadelphia with the highest field goal percentage in team history (possibly tied with one or two others) and also threw in a pair of steals and a pair of rebounds. Chambers's Herculean contributions weren't enough however, as Jerry Stackhouse and Allen Iverson went a combined 8 for 31, and the boys lost 95-89. Chambers retired 11 days later.

Tommy, we hardly knew ye.

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