With the NBA draft right around the corner, now is the time to look at some past drafts and see what the Philadelphia 76ers have done in their history. The Sixers have selected some big-time players in the past who have become an important part of the fabric of the franchise’s history.
This next edition focuses on the 1999 draft. The Sixers had made a draft night trade for Jumaine Jones who was a key part of their 2001 finals team, but they also made a second-round choice with the selection of big man Todd MacCulloch with the 47th overall pick out of Washington.
Advertisement
MacCulloch had a short stint in the NBA that lasted only four years–three with the Sixers across two stints, but he made the finals twice in his career. He was the backup big man for Philadelphia on the 2001 finals team and a starter on the 2002 New Jersey Nets that reached the finals. Both times, MacCulloch ran into Shaquille O’Neal as both Philadelphia and New Jersey fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in those finals appearances.
Unfortunately for MacCulloch, he was forced into retirement in 2004 due to Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a neurological disorder that affects the peripheral nerves of the hands and feet, causing problems with balance and reflexes. The genetic disease sidelined him for 1.5 seasons before he called it a career. He averaged 4.8 points and 3.2 rebounds in his three seasons with the Sixers.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers draft history: Todd MacCulloch selected in Round 2 in 1999