Without Allen Iverson, an entire generation of Sixers fans might not exist. Hell, a generation of NBA fans in general might not.
The Sixers took Iverson first overall in 1996. In that first season, he didn’t even look like himself. His hair was short and shaped up. He had only one tattoo on his left arm. He didn’t wear a headband, shooting sleeve or any of the accessories he’d become known for. He also wore a classic red and blue Sixers jersey during his Rookie of the Year campaign, an improvement
over the weird shooting star jerseys worn by the likes of Shawn Bradley and Sharone Wright.
His second season was quite different. The Answer exclusively went to his now signature corn rows (a look he did rock briefly, most notably when he won MVP of the Rookie Game during All-Star Weekend). The headband and many more tattoos were still to come, but the team also updated its look.
Pat Croce, the team president at the time, knew the franchise needed a facelift. With input from Iverson, the team debuted their new black jerseys at a Modell’s Sporting Goods in the Cherry Hill Mall … which is a hell of a sentence to type in 2025. Third-year guard Jerry Stackhouse, not Iverson, was the model that day. Six months later, Stackhouse was traded — largely because this was now Iverson’s team.
Funny enough, the Sixers could use a bit of a facelift right now. That’s why it feels like an ideal time for the team to once again roll out the black jerseys Iverson made famous — and it’s great to see they’re doing it right.
The Sixers, one of the weirdest NBA franchises of the last decade, finds themselves in the weirdest spot of any team in the NBA heading into 2025-26. They have three All-Stars and a bunch of young and exciting players. That sounds great without context. Alas.
We don’t know how healthy Joel Embiid and Paul George will be this season. They’re both coming off injury-riddled seasons and offseason knee surgeries. They’re also both on the wrong side of 30. If they’re healthy and can play, the Sixers are as dangerous as any team in the East. If they can’t, who the hell knows?
But there is room for hope amidst that uncertainty. Tyrese Maxey, the most dynamic guard this team has had since Iverson, is still just 24 years old and has become the unquestioned leader of the team. First-rounders Jared McCain and VJ Edgecombe both look like the real deal. Quentin Grimes was acquired in a steal of a trade (though his restricted free agency saga lingers on, likely into September). Young guys like Adem Bona, Justin Edwards and Johni Broome also give fans players to dream on.
The rollout for the jerseys has been a slow burn. The organization has been not-so-subtly hinting at them coming back. The other day, a leak of the court the team will use for those games made its way around social media. Feels like a miss to not have the shooting basketballs coming from the sidelines, but overall, it does seem like they’re going all in on honoring and respecting the legacy of the Iverson-era black jerseys.
Remember the last time they did black jerseys? The teases were exciting back in 2021. Fans were ready to see the look again, especially with Iverson himself being part of the marketing campaign. Then we got the “New Philadelphia” design. Something felt wrong seeing A.I. recreate his famous Slam Magazine cover with Boathouse Row across his chest. In a vacuum, the design wasn’t terrible. But with fans expecting to see something resembling the Iverson look, they understandably felt cheated.
And in case you’re wondering, the current players absolutely want the black jerseys back. Either they remember Iverson dropping 50 in them or they just think black adds an element of coolness to the uniform. They’ll get their chance in 2025-26.
Most importantly, bringing the look back is a fantastic way to honor Iverson, a franchise and cultural icon who made the Sixers cool again.
