Philadelphia fans are known for their passion and devotion to their sports teams. But they also demand excellence from them. Because of that, they can be hard on the players, especially if the team is not performing well. However, that was not the case with Allen Iverson when he played for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Iverson never delivered an NBA championship to the City of Brotherly Love and had a 29-33 playoff record as a Sixer. Despite that, he was one of the most beloved athletes in the city and remains so to this day.
During his recent appearance on “Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM”, the player known as “The Answer” talked about his relationship with the Philadelphia faithful.
“They watched me grow up,” said Iverson. “I was 21 years old when I got there. Like they watched me go through ups and downs. But I played every game like it was my last. And if you know Philadelphia, that’s all they really want. Like I could be out there and I could go “o for winfrey” from the field. But they know that AI played as hard as he could. I could look in the mirror after the game. Every game that I played hurt, sick, whatever, and you look in the mirror, and I never felt bad. I felt good. I was upset about not playing well, but I knew I played the game like it was my last. Philadelphia loves that. And our relationship has been that since I retired, what, 15 years now?”
AI returned to the Sixers in 2009 and played his final NBA game as a Sixer
Iverson was the Sixers’ No.1 overall pick in the fabled 1996 NBA Draft out of Georgetown. The six-foot-tall Iverson made an immediate impact by winning the 1997 NBA Rookie of the Year award and went on to make 11 All-Star teams and seven All-NBA squads, winning MVP honors in 2001 and the All-Star Game MVP award twice.
But while Iverson became one of the game’s biggest stars, the Sixers only had one 50-win season in his 10 years there. Philly also made only six playoff appearances under his watch and advanced past the second round only once, in 2001, when they reached the NBA Finals. It’s been over 15 years since he retired, yet he remains one of Philly’s most favorite icons.
“The relationship is still the same. You walk into the building, and it’s the same feeling. And then the people in Philadelphia are used to me outside of being in that arena. I’m everywhere,” added Iverson.
Ben Simmons did not get the Iverson treatment from Sixers fans
However, while the love between Philly fans and Iverson is enduring, the same cannot be said about how Sixers fans treated another former No. 1 pick, Ben Simmons. According to former NBA player Patrick Beverley, Philadelphia fans were so hard on Simmons that he lost confidence in his abilities, and that’s why he is currently out of the league.
“Do you blame Philly? That’s the question. If he would’ve went to another team. And you know Philly fans, I fu—-g love Philly fans, but if you ain’t doing what you need to do for Philly, they gonna let your motherf—g a– know in a heartbeat. ‘Hey, man, you stink. You’re a bum. Get in the house. Why are you having a drink with me? Get you a– in the house, get in the gym, shoot some 3’s. You stink. Hurry up.'” Beverley said recently.
Like Iverson, Simmons could not lead the Sixers to the promised land. However, unlike Simmons, Philly fans saw how Iverson wore his heart on his arm sleeve and left it out on the floor every night, treating each game like a championship game. That’s why Philly fans loved AI.