‘Paperweight’: NBA fans mock Allen Iverson’s ‘disrespectful’ statue

NBA fans have not been able to help themselves, roasting the Philadelphia 76ers after Allen Iverson’s statue was roundly mocked.

Fans have roasted the Allen Iverson trophy. Photo: Getty Images and Instagram

The Philadelphia 76ers have unveiled a statue for legend Allen Iverson, but the honour has left some fans scratching their heads.

Iverson’s statue was unveiled on Friday and fans instantly took notice of the size of the sculpture.

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Once the tarp was removed, a statue of Iverson sat on a pedestal, but it was shorter than Iverson, who is only six feet tall.

Sixers fans were quick to question why the statue was so tall, as other notable athletes get statues that tower above crowds.

They quickly took to social media to express their displeasure with the statue honouring Iverson.

“Why is it so small?” one fan said.

The answer to that one is that all the statues in the 76ers Legends Walk are small.

“This Calvin Cambridge,” another fan said.

Calvin Cambridge is Lil’ Bow Wow’s character from the 2002 movie Like Mike.

“That’s a trophy not a statue,” a third fan said.

“How you gonna honour that man with a paper weight?” a fourth fan said.

Former NBA star Brandon Jennings posted: “Salute to AI. But that was disrespectful.”

These statues lie in a row at the team’s training facility and are all in the same style as Iverson’s.

Legends like Wilt Chamberlain and Charles Barkley have similarly sized statues outside of the facility.

Iverson is also the 10th player to have a statue unveiled on the franchises Legends Walk.

He joins Barkley, Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Moses Malone, Billy Cunningham, Hal Greer, Bobby Jones and Dolph Schayes to be immortalised on the walk.

"Where's the rest of it" - probably. Photo: Instagram

Iverson kisses the statue. Photo: Instagram

Iverson was one of the most dominant players of his generation, spending 12 of his 14 seasons in the NBA with the 76ers.

He also had short stints with the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, and Memphis Grizzlies.

In his career, Iverson averaged 26.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game.

He was named to 11 All Star teams, seven All-NBA teams, won Rookie of the Year and MVP, and was a four-time scoring champ.

Iverson easily made the Hall of Fame, and was a no-brainer to be honoured by the 76ers with a statue alongside other greats.

This story first appeared in The US Sun and was republished with permission.

Originally published as ‘Paperweight’: NBA fans mock Allen Iverson’s ‘disrespectful’ statue