Philadelphia is not only the birthplace of the United States but also the birthplace and childhood neighborhood for many great sportspeople. With four major sports teams in the city, the city of brotherly love has been called an underachiever with just two major championships in the last twenty years. Still the city has had much to offer with many great athletes and hall of famers growing up in Philadelphia. Let’s have a look at some of the legends.

Wilt Chamberlain

This Philadelphian is one the greatest athletes from Philadelphia and one of the best to play the game of Basketball. The 7-feet 1-inch-tall player was known for his long-standing rivalry with Bill Russell and still holds numerous NBA records. 

To this date he is still the only player to have scored 100 points in a single game. He is the only player in history to average more than 30 points and 20 rebounds per game and is second only to Michael Jordan in point per game average. He was a major part of the 1967 championship winning roster that took home the second NBA title to the city of Philadelphia and has earned him legendary status in the city. 

Joe Frazier 

Frazier was not born in Philadelphia but packed up his bags in 1959 at the age of 15 to travel to Philadelphia. The boxer soon became a big name in the amateur ranks and won three Golden Gloves championships in a row from 1962 through 1964 before taking home an Olympic gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Games. 

Kobe Bryant

A life that ended up with a tragedy was started in the neighborhoods of Philadelphia, where his father Joe Bryant played for Philadelphia 76ers. Growing up in Italy and Philadelphia Bryant grew his own talent and decided to skip college and enter the 1996 draft as a high school player. 

The Black Mamba was picked 13^th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers and would go on to be one of the most legendary players in franchise history. With him on the team the franchise won 5 NBA championships in 21 seasons with him being elected to 18 all-star games, second only to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 

This year his former team the Lakers are one of the favorites for the NBA title with Lebron James leading the franchise. With many games still left this season you can find plenty of games to bet on. Read all about betting here.  

Mike Powell 

This track and field athlete still holds the world record for the longest long jump ever. His record of 8.95 meter has stood since 1991 and it does not look like it is going to be beaten any time soon. Unfortunately for Powell there was another amazing American long jumper at the time called Carl Lewis who would go on to win two Olympic gold medals right in front of him. At the World Championships in 1991 in Tokyo Mike Powell finally got the better of him to take home his first major championship medal. 

A tricky one to rank, Tim Flannery was one of the most popular players in the history of Padres baseball, although the position player never had a season where he had more than 108 Hits.

Flannery was with San Diego for all of 11 Seasons, appearing at Second, Third, or Shortstop, showing solid defensive versatility.  While he was not a power hitter, Flannery was often used to pinch hit and would collect 631 Hits and bat .255 over his career.  

After his career ended, Flannery became a Coach and would win three World Series Rings with San Francisco.

The first man with the name of Dave Roberts to play for the San Diego Padres, this incarnation was a Pitcher who was an original Padre, arriving as an Expansion Draft Selection from the Pirates organization.

Roberts did not do much in San Diego's inaugural year, but he improved in 1970, going 8-14 over 181.2 Innings with a 3.81 ERA.  His 1971 Season proved to be Robert's best year in Baseball, when despite his losing 14-17 Record, he had a sweet ERA of 2.10, with a 1.109 WHIP.  Roberts was sixth in Cy Young voting, the only season he ever received Cy Young votes, and he was easily the best player on the team.  

Despite that strong campaign, San Diego traded him to Houston, but he never did equal 1971.

A Rule 5 Draft Pick from Pittsburgh, Bip Roberts had to stay with the Padres for the entirety of the 1986 Season, where he was used mostly out of the dugout as a Pinch Hitter, Pinch Runner, or defensive Replacement.  He returned to the Minors over the next two years, returning as a starter in 1989.

Roberts batted .301 in 117 Games in 1989 and had his best year with San Diego the year after, batting .309 with 172 Hits and 46 Stolen Bases.  After a down year, Roberts was traded to Cincinnati but would return as a Free Agent in 1994 for two more years before being traded again to Kansas City.

With the Padres, Roberts stole 148 Bases, had 673 Hits, and batted .298.