How Sixers Super 5 Rank On ESPN's 'Top 100' List

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Sixers new superstar starting five has brought the attention of the basketball world squarely on Philadelphia, skyrocketing ticket prices and sparking discussions about the franchise's greatest roster of all time.

ESPN's newly released "Top 100" players ahead of the 2026-27 season offered a tantalizing glimpse of what could be for Philadelphia. All five Sixers starters landed on the list, a remarkable feat for a team that had one of the worst records in the NBA just two years ago.

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Here's how Philly's five were ranked, and their placement before last season in parenthesis.:

11. Tyrese Maxey (28th)

14. Jaylen Brown (19th)

18. LeBron James (8th)

41. Joel Embiid (47)

72. VJ Edgecombe (unranked)

Every single player improved their positioning from last year. There's a good argument that all five rankings are fair, though Embiid and Edgecombe, in particular, have a lot of available ceiling to work toward. Maxey and Brown both flashed MVP-level skill last year, while LeBron could easily move up several spots over similarly aged Hall of Fames like Kevin Durant and Steph Curry.

Embiid remains the biggest question mark due to his injury history, which obviously determined his relatively low ranking. The former MVP remains a top 10 player when he's on the court, and he's still young enough that the heights of his prime are not out of reach.

More importantly, the Sixers roster depth means he won't have to be on the court throughout the season for Philly to get a high seed in the east. The Sixers can manage Embiid's load carefully to ensure he reaches the playoffs healthy, where his impact will be the most significant.

Surprisingly, the Sixers did achieve this feat of all five in ESPN's top 100 once before, ahead of the 2019-20 season. That team, with Embiid at 8th, Ben Simmons at 13th, Al Horford at 45th, Tobias Harris at 48th, and Josh Richardson at 71 did play to a respectable 43-30 record, but that mark was underwhelming for preseason expectations and only landed them as the 6th seed in the east. They were eliminated handily in the opening round by the Boston Celtics.

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ESPN ranked the Sixers as the 4th most likely team to win the NBA title, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder and last year's conference champions, the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks.

The Knicks also landed their five starters in the top 100, while the Thunder landed an alarming seven players.

The Sixers open their season on Oct. 20 against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.