The Philadelphia 76ers recently immortalized Allen Iverson for his 12-season-long service to the franchise. The Pennsylvania organization unveiled his statue to pay respect to his endeavors from his playing days, which marked a huge sign of respect for the former player. However, Kevin Garnett seemed livid at the gesture with the statue being much smaller than it should have been.
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Initially, Iverson shared glimpses of the unveiling event on his Instagram. Showcasing gratitude to the franchise and its upper management, he wrote, “What an incredible honor the Philadelphia 76ers, Mike Goings…Thank you forever immortalize me!…My family, my friends, my teammates, my coaches, and my fans, it’s a reflection of y’all support”.
Following that, KG made the headlines as he voiced a contrary opinion. Calling out the 76ers for the statue’s size, the 47-year-old mentioned on his Instagram story, “Nah Philly…Love the statue but it’s gotta be wayyyy bigger…C’mon Sixers. Congratulations to AI and his family but that’s needed to be bigger. That’s just me. Respect”.
Interestingly, a section of the NBA fan community on X (formerly Twitter) expressed a similar set of beliefs. One viewer mockingly mentioned, “Ain’t no way they gave Iverson this lower case statue”.
Another continued on the exact tone by uploading a snapshot from the 2002 classic movie, Like Mike. Putting the spotlight on the main character’s short stature and AI-inspired presence on the court, the fan declared, “The picture they used for the Iverson statue“.
Amidst the criticism, the 76ers notably have the tradition of building relatively smaller statues of their icons. The area outside their practice facility has consequently featured the likes of Billy Cunningham, Julius Erving, and Charles Barkley amongst others in a similar fashion.
However, the concerns of Garnett still stand true. After all, the size of Iverson’s statue seemed smaller even in comparison to the rest of the 76ers greats. This has certainly put the franchise in the negative limelight with its rivals often going the extra mile to pay tribute to their legends.
Allen Iverson deserved better treatment
Since coming into the league in 1996, Iverson represented the franchise for 11 consecutive seasons. During that period, the Virginia-born took the 76ers to the Finals in 2001 while winning the MVP award in the process. In 2009, he returned to the team to play one more season for them reigniting his influence on the organization.
Throughout his time in the NBA, the iconic shooting guard played an active role in disrupting the off-court culture. From braids to tattoos, Iverson ushered in a new era in the league with his endeavors. Recently, LeBron James acknowledged him for that in the Mind the Game podcast by calling him one of the two ‘biggest influential guys’ since he had been watching.
Hence, the 76ers could have put an end to their tradition by increasing the size of Iverson’s statue this time around. The Chicago Bulls had done so for Michael Jordan, just as the Los Angeles Lakers did for Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Ironically, the Pennsylvania organization made the exception in the opposite way around. They reduced the size in comparison, leading to the seemingly justified frustration from the NBA community.
