It was 2014. The Philadelphia 76ers were in the absolute trenches of "The Process." Losing was the strategy, draft picks were the currency, and the brand needed a massive facelift to distract everyone from the 19-win seasons. Amidst this chaos, a certain founding father started appearing on shorts, hoodies, and center court. The sixers ben franklin logo wasn't just a secondary mark; it became a vibe. It's weird, right? A guy who died in 1790 somehow became the coolest mascot in the NBA.
Philadelphia loves its history, but it usually keeps it at Independence Hall. This was different. By putting a dribbling Benjamin Franklin on the gear, the team tapped into something visceral. It wasn't the primary "76" circle logo we see on the jerseys. No, this was the "Ballin' Ben." It features a stylized, blue-and-red Ben Franklin, looking surprisingly athletic, mid-dribble.
People obsessed over it immediately.
Why? Because it captures the specific brand of "Philly Weird" that other cities can't replicate. It’s gritty. It’s intellectual but also looks like it would dive for a loose ball. Most teams go for fierce animals or abstract shapes. The Sixers went with a guy who flew kites in thunderstorms and wrote about bifocals.
The Origins of the Dribbling Founding Father
When the 76ers underwent their massive rebrand in 2015, they brought in Chris Heck and the creative team to bridge the gap between the past and the future. They looked at the old 1960s logos and the 1976 All-Star Game marks. But they wanted a secondary logo that felt more like a lifestyle brand than a corporate sports entity.
Enter Ben.
Actually, his official name in the design docs is "Benny." He’s wearing the classic Sixers uniform. He’s got that signature balding-but-flowing hair. Most importantly, he’s moving. This isn’t the stoic Ben on the $100 bill. This is a guy playing point guard.
The design itself is deceptively simple. It uses a minimal color palette: Sixers Blue, Red, and White. There’s a certain "cartoonish but serious" balance that makes it work on a snapback hat just as well as it does on a warm-up jacket. If you look closely at the shoes he's wearing in the logo, they are nondescript, but they imply a sense of motion. It was a risk. Putting a historical figure in a sports context usually feels like a middle school social studies project. Somehow, this felt like streetwear.
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Why the Sixers Ben Franklin Logo Outlasted the Rebuild
Most secondary logos disappear. Remember the "Bucks" antler logo that looked like a deer head? Or the various secondary marks for the Hawks? They come and go with the jersey cycles. But the sixers ben franklin logo stuck.
It survived the end of the Sam Hinkie era. It survived the Bryan Colangelo collar-gate. It even survived the constant shifting of the roster around Joel Embiid.
You see it everywhere at the Wells Fargo Center. It’s on the "City Edition" courts. It’s tattooed on fans in Kensington. Honestly, it works because it represents the "smart" side of the game. Franklin was an innovator. He was a thinker. For a team that spent years telling fans to "Trust the Process"—essentially asking them to use their brains instead of their eyes—Franklin was the perfect avatar.
Fans in Philly are notoriously difficult. You can't just sell them a flashy logo and expect them to buy it. They need a connection. Ben Franklin is the ultimate Philadelphian. He’s the guy who started the first fire department and the first library. Using him as the secondary face of the franchise was a stroke of genius because it claimed the city's entire identity, not just its basketball history.
A Logo That Speaks to Modern Streetwear
If you walk into a boutique in Soho or a shop on South Street, you'll see why this logo works. It’s the "merch-ification" of sports. The primary 76ers logo is great, but it’s very "official." It says "I am a fan of this NBA team."
The Ben Franklin logo says something else.
It says you’re in on the joke. It says you appreciate the history of the city but also like the fact that an 18th-century diplomat is crossing someone over. It fits into that vintage aesthetic that has dominated fashion for the last decade. It doesn't look like a modern, hyper-polished vector graphic. It has character.
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The Controversy of the "Bell" vs. "Ben"
There has always been a quiet rivalry between the two main secondary marks in Philly: The Liberty Bell and Ben Franklin. The Liberty Bell logo (the one with the "76" inside it) is the workhorse. It’s what you see at mid-court most nights. It’s iconic.
But Ben is the cult favorite.
When Nike took over the NBA apparel contract, they leaned heavily into the Ben Franklin imagery for the City Edition sets. One year, they even featured "parchment" paper textures and Ben's signature. It was a polarizing move. Some fans thought it was too much of a history lesson. Others couldn't get enough.
Honestly, the sixers ben franklin logo is the underdog of the brand. It’s not the one on the jumbotron when the game starts, but it’s the one the die-hards are wearing. It represents a specific era of Sixers basketball where the team was trying to find its soul again.
Breaking Down the Design Elements
Let's get into the weeds of why the design actually works from a visual standpoint.
- The Silhouette: It’s instantly recognizable. Even if you removed the colors, you’d know that’s Ben Franklin.
- The Motion: Most historical logos are static. This one has a forward lean. It suggests the team is always moving, which was the core tenet of the "Process" rebuild.
- The Humor: There is an inherent silliness to it that disarms people. It takes the self-seriousness out of professional sports.
Critics sometimes say it's too busy. They argue that a logo should be simpler, like the Nike swoosh or the Bulls head. But the Sixers aren't a "simple" franchise. This is a team with a complex, often frustrating, but always passionate history. A simple logo wouldn't fit. You need the complexity. You need the bifocals.
What Most People Get Wrong About Ben
Some people think this was a 1970s throwback. It wasn't. While the team used Franklin imagery in the past—specifically in promotional materials during the Bicentennial—the "Dribbling Ben" is a relatively modern creation. It’s a 21st-century interpretation of a 1700s icon.
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It also isn't "The Mascot." Franklin and Franklin the Dog (the actual blue mascot) are two different things. The logo is the sophisticated version; the dog is for the kids. Don't mix them up, or a season ticket holder will probably correct you with a twenty-minute lecture.
How to Get the Best Gear with the Logo
If you’re looking to score some "Ballin' Ben" merchandise, you have to be careful. Because it’s a secondary logo, it isn't always in stock on the main NBA store.
- Check the Mitchell & Ness "Hardwood Classics" line. They often use the Franklin mark on premium hoodies and throwback-style jackets.
- Look for "City Edition" archives. Every few years, the Sixers lean back into the Franklin aesthetic for their alternate uniforms.
- Local Philly Shops. Places like Shibe Vintage Sports often carry gear that features the logo in ways the big national retailers don't.
The sixers ben franklin logo has become a symbol of Philadelphia's resilience. It survived the lean years and remains a staple now that the team is a perennial contender. It’s a reminder that even in a high-stakes, multi-billion dollar league, there’s room for a bit of local flavor and a balding guy with a basketball.
Taking Action: How to Rep the Mark
If you're looking to incorporate this piece of Philly history into your collection, start with the basics. Don't go for the loudest, brightest piece. Look for the "clean" versions of the logo—specifically the ones on navy or cream-colored fabric. These tend to age better and highlight the detail of the embroidery.
For collectors, keep an eye out for the 2017-2018 "City Edition" merchandise. That was the peak of the Franklin integration, and those pieces are now becoming legitimate vintage finds.
Finally, if you’re ever at the Wells Fargo Center, look up at the rafters. You might not see a Ben Franklin jersey hanging there, but his influence is woven into the very fabric of the team's identity. He is the unofficial patron saint of the 76ers, forever dribbling toward the hoop, reminding everyone that while winning is great, doing it with a bit of wit and history is even better.