Shawn Bradley: The Philadelphia 76ers' Failed Experiment

After the Orlando Magic selected Chris Webber with the No.1 overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers were quickly forced to make an important decision.

Who should they grab with the second pick?

Should it be Memphis State's Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, the guard who was drawing comparisons to Magic Johnson?

Or what about Kentucky forward Jamal Mashburn? They could definitely use his scoring punch.

Ultimately, Philly wound up taking the most mysterious prospect in the draft, 7-foot-6 giant Shawn Bradley from Brigham Young University.

He had missed the past two seasons due to serving as a missionary in Australia, but that didn't discourage Sixer owner Harold Katz from choosing him.

Katz was blown away by Bradley's amazing athletic and shot-blocking abilities and felt that he simply could not pass up the opportunity to draft the former BYU star. Katz advised the Philly fans to have patience and give Bradley at least three years before judging him.

The Sixers management strongly believed that with a little help, Bradley could one day develop into one of the league's most dominant centers and help bring a championship or two back to the City of Brotherly Love.

In fact, the Sixers had enough confidence in Bradley to make him the richest athlete in Philadelphia sports history at the time when they signed him to an eight-year $44 million contract.

But in order to mold Bradley into a great center, the team knew that they would have to address his most glaring weakness, his weight.

Bradley weighed a meager 245 pounds and desperately needed to bulk up if he was going to succeed against the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O'Neal in the post.

The 7-foot-6 string bean was then put on an insane 6,000-7,000 calorie diet and worked out with team trainer Pat Croce. Unfortunately, after stuffing his face with milkshakes, T-bone steaks, and fattening pancakes, Bradley failed to gain any weight.

But Katz and company remained patient with their future franchise player. They were aware that it was going to take time for Bradley to live up to expectations.

Bradley went on to have a respectable rookie year in 1993-94. Though he missed the final 32 games of the season due to injury, the shot-blocking specialist finished with averages of 10.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks and was selected to the All-Rookie Second Team. 

The following season, Bradley played in all 82 games, but his stats did not improve much from his rookie year as he averaged 9.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.34 blocks. He also set the 76ers single-season record in blocked shots with 274.

After two seasons in the NBA, it was apparent that Bradley was never going to become the franchise center that the team had envisioned. Katz had finally given up  and he knew that it was time to cut ties with his experiment.

On November 30, 1995, Bradley was traded along with Greg Graham and Tim Perry to the New Jersey Nets for Derrick Coleman, Sean Higgins, and Rex Walters.

The Shawn Bradley era in Philadelphia had come to a close.

He would later be dealt to the Dallas Mavericks the following season, where he would spend the rest of his career before retiring in 2005.

Bradley never lived up to his lofty expectations and will forever be known as the guy that players loved to dunk on.