In the storied history of the Philadelphia 76ers, it would be difficult to find a more beloved legend — and great player — than Allen Iverson.
Which means it was past time he should have had his statue unveiled in front of the 76ers practice facility, but that happened on Friday.
“This is such an honor, man,” Iverson said, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “And it (doesn’t) even seem real. I don’t get nervous too much, but just seeing so many people in here that I love … I want to say all the right things and just let y’all know how much I appreciate y’all.
“I promised myself I wasn’t going to (cry), but thanks to everybody for coming out. Thanks to everybody for playing a part in this, for making this dream come true…
“Man, I was just telling [sculptor Chad Fisher], ‘You did a great job, man.’ This is a moment I’ll never forget. I’ll cherish this moment for the rest of my life.”
In the context-free world that is X (formerly Twitter), the size of Iverson’s statue led to jokes — “Here’s the chance for Tyronn Lue to do something really funny” — and maybe the word statue isn’t the right one. This is intentionally not a monument that is bigger than life. However, this statue fits with the nine others it joined in a walk of fame outside the practice facility.
What matters is Iverson, a Philly legend, felt the love. He’s a legend because he played the game in the most Philadelphia way ever.
“Just playing every game like it’s your last. That was always my motto. Regardless of the circumstances, if I’m hurt or whatever, if I’m on the court, there was no reason not for me to play like that game like it’s my last. It’s not fair to myself, it’s not fair to God for giving me the talent. And I always felt like, ‘I’m going to play harder than anybody out here.’… I was going to play harder than anybody, night in and night out.”
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