From Wilt Chamberlain and Julius Erving to Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers have had many legends of the game, but none were like Allen Iverson. With braids and baggy jeans, he influenced the NBA culture like no other. The same can be said about his game. Philly honored the legend with his statue, which was installed at Penn Medicine Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex on Friday, April 12. However, as soon as fans and veterans caught a glimpse of the statue, many erupted in rage. Former NFL player Ryan Clark even made a comparison of Iverson’s statue with the shortest player in NBA history, Muggsy Bogues. And the reason is simple.

Even though it isn’t a life-size statue, its size disappointed the fans. The Answer contributed 12 years of his life to the 76ers. So the fans, including Clark, expected something extraordinary from the 76ers for one of the greatest players in franchise history. Expressing his disappointment with the franchise, Clark took to his X handle and wrote, “Man!! They gave my boy AI a “Mugsy” Iverson statue.”

Standing at 5ft 3, the former Charlotte Hornets player Bogues is the shortest player to ever grace the league. Clark’s tweet must have only meant to point out his disappointment with the size of the statue.

Iverson is 6ft tall. While he was the shortest player on the court more often than not, Iverson was still known for his dominance. Few players his size could make as significant an impact as he did. As one of the most prolific scorers the league has ever seen, AI became a 4x NBA scoring champion and received seven All-NBA selections. So considering all his achievements, everyone expected a better statue.

Are the NBA veterans right for being upset?

While many were upset about it, a fraction of the people disagreed with the statue being disrespectful. However, the big names of the league have already expressed their opinions on social media. 3x NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford also took to his X handle and wrote, “The Sixers should be ashamed of themselves with the size of that statue!”

Another veteran who was upset about it was Matt Barnes. In a clip shared on his X handle, the champ said “I know I might be late to the party, but what the f*ck did the Philadelphia 76ers just try to do for Allen Iverson? I know the whole city of Philadelphia’s gotta be embarrassed of that sh*t.”

Iverson has become the 10th player in the franchise to get his statue installed. Sculpted by Chad Fisher, Iverson’s statue will join the rest of the sculptures of the elite members including Charles Barkley, Wilt Chamberlain, Maurice Cheeks, Billy Cunningham, Julius Erving, Hal Greer, Bobby Jones, Moses Malone, and Dolph Schayes.

Many have claimed that Iverson’s loyal Philly fans would also be upset about the situation while the entire internet has turned this supposedly proud moment into a meme.