Allen Iverson sculpture to be unveiled April 12 at 76ers Training Complex in Camden
CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) -- Now we're really talking about practice! Sixers legend Allen Iverson will be commemorated with a sculpture along the 76ers Legends Walk at the team's practice facility in Camden on Friday, the NBA announced.
The March 1 announcement came 10 years to the day that Iverson's No. 3 was hung up in the rafters at the Wells Fargo Center, alongside the team's all-time greats like Dr. J and Wilt Chamberlain.
The team is planning an unveiling ceremony at 1 p.m. on April 12 in Camden.
Iverson will also be honored April 14 when the Sixers host the Brooklyn Nets.
A Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, 11-time All-Star and four-time league scoring champion, Iverson led the Sixers to the playoffs six times, including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2001.
"Allen Iverson is one of the greatest 76ers to ever live and one of the most iconic players in the history of the NBA, and we're thrilled to honor his accomplishments with a well-deserved sculpture on Legends Walk," team co-owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer said in a statement.
educated guesses only. 🤔
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 11, 2024
tomorrow we are unveiling the @alleniverson sculpture at the @PennMedicine Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. pic.twitter.com/C1mFXl6lSJ
Sculptor Chad Fisher, who designed the nine current sculpture along 76ers Legends Walk, returned to create a 10th - depicting Iverson.
The team posted a teaser on social media indicating six possible poses the sculpture could take - will it be stepping over Tyronn Lue in the 2001 NBA Finals, or Iverson holding his hand up to his ear? Maybe doing a dunk?
There are plenty of photos of A.I. holding his hand up to his ear...we'd have to guess that. But we'll stay tuned for the big reveal.
"Allen Iverson was a game-changer, a true 76er who every Philadelphian worshipped, and I'm thrilled to unveil a sculpture of the MVP," Fisher said in a statement.
Iverson's 26.7 points per game average is the ninth-highest in league history. He also holds the third-highest playoff-points-per-game stat, behind only Michael Jordan and Luka Doncic.
Drafted by the Sixers first overall in 1996 after the team went 18-64 and won the draft lottery, Iverson was quickly branded as "The Answer." And he was for sure a player to build a team around.
Iverson went on to play a few seasons for the Denver Nuggets and a few games for the Memphis Grizzlies before concluding his NBA career after the 2009-10 season. He then played a season of pro ball in Turkey.