March 17, 2026

Allen Iverson Fans Outraged After Philadelphia 76ers Honor Him with ‘Ant’ Sized Statue

myblackfreedom.com04 mins


Basketball icon Allen Iverson was honored last week by the NBA team that made him a household name.

Yet, despite the grandeur of the tribute, some feel it falls short, dismissing the diminutive sculpture crafted in the Philadelphia legend’s honor, saying it’s not big enough. People seemed to not care about what it looked like but how small it was compared to the Rocky statue.

Allen Iverson's (L) Philadelphia statue draws comparisons to the statue of fictional movie character, Rocky Balboa, portrayed by Sylvester Stallone (R).
Allen Iverson’s (L) Philadelphia statue draws comparisons to the statue of the fictional movie character, Rocky Balboa, portrayed by Sylvester Stallone (R). (Photo: @theofficialai3/Instagram; @officialrockystatue/Instagram)

The city was all abuzz for weeks with people arguing over what Iverson pose should be immortalized, but when it was unveiled on Friday, April 12, the conversation online shifted as quickly as the seven-time All-Star broke Michael Jordan’s ankle with his signature crossover.

Amid the criticism, Iverson is thrilled about the honor.

“I’ve accomplished a lot of things in my career, but this is the cream of the crop,” Iverson said during ceremony, according to CBS News. “It don’t get too much better than this. It don’t even seem real.”

Social media users professed their outrage that the bronze monument was tiny compared to the 1980 statue of Rocky Balboa, a fictional native son of Italian descent.

Located at the entrance to the Philadelphia Museum of Art off of Kelly Drive and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the bronze sculpture stands at 8 feet 6. The piece of art was donated to the city by Sylvester Stallone, the actor who played Rocky in seven self-titled films and two “Creed” movies, according to the Association of Public Art.

“I need this to be supersized AI is a true legend,” one person wrote, while another stated, “They always playing in black people’s face, this man is a legend and deserves a legend size statue.”

“Sixers out to be ashamed of themselves with that small statue. Iverson deserves a bigger one. They need to redo it,” one comment read on The Neighborhood Talk’s Instagram page. “He gave so much to that team and to the game for that uncivil statue!!!!!!! Extreme disrespect!”

“What is this??? A statue for ants?” one person tweeted.

“@sixers I think I speak for the entire fanbase when I say we need a rocky sized statue of Allen Iverson right in front of Wells Fargo,” one X user wrote.