On Friday afternoon in Philadelphia, Pennslyvania, the 76ers hosted a sculpture unveiling ceremony to honor NBA legend and cultural icon Allen Iverson.
Many former teammates, fans, and the media were in attendance.
Iverson gave everything he had to the organization and then some, leading it to new heights and living up to the expectations that were put upon him. So, how do the 76ers respond to that? Well, that responded with a comically small statue to honor his legacy.
Check out the size of this one.
To no one’s surprise, Twitter/X went ramped on the statue, and many others felt it was disrespectful toward Iverson, AKA The Answer.
Did y’all make him a bobble head?
— Anthony F. Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA) April 12, 2024
That’s not a statue that’s a adult basketball league mvp trophy
— Xae (@xaekxngofficial) April 12, 2024
It’s a practice statue
— L’esprit d’escalier (@Noachl) April 12, 2024
So small compared to the others, that’s not right for AI. 🤦🏻♂️
— SonicsMuse (@SonicsMuse) April 12, 2024
It is undoubtedly insanely small compared to other statues, especially the other 76er great statues, such as Billy Cunningham, Wilt Chamberlain, Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones, Julius Erving, Mose Malone, and Charles Barkley.
Iverson is arguably the greatest Sixer of all time, and this is how he will forever be enshrined in front of the team’s practice facility. Nonetheless, there’s no arguing his resume on the court. Iverson was an 11-time All-Star, seven times with the Sixers, three-time All-NBA First Team, 1997 NBA Rookie of the Year, and was named the NBA MVP in 2001.
VCG/VCG via Getty Images
He helped lead the 76ers to their first NBA Finals appearance in 2001 since 1983. Game one of the 2001 NBA Finals will forever go down in 76ers and NBA lore. Iverson put the team on his back to take a 1-0 lead over the Los Angeles Lakers and was undefeated in the playoffs with a perfect 11-0 record.
He scored 48 points, five rebounds, six assists, and five steals. Although the 76ers were unable to grab another win over the mighty Lakers, that game one performance was like any other the NBA and basketball fans have seen.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the 76ers retiring Iverson’s number three jersey into the rafters. Ten years later, the organization treated him to a”statue,” and he will be honored on Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets prior to the team’s last game of the 2023-2024 regular season.
The 76ers are only one game behind the fifth-seed Orlando Magic and sixth-seed Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference, which allows them to avoid the dreaded play-in tournament. It may all come down to the last game of the season, and their Hall of Fame guard will be in attendance for that one.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.