Philadelphia to Honor 2001 Sixers Finals Team During Saturday’s Game vs. Pelicans
When the Philadelphia 76ers take the floor against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night, the spotlight won’t just be on the current squad. At halftime, the franchise will pay tribute to one of the most beloved teams in its history-the 2001 Eastern Conference champions, led by the electric Allen Iverson.
That team didn’t just play basketball; they captured the spirit of a city. Iverson, the 2001 NBA MVP, was the heart and soul of the squad, carrying them with his relentless drive and fearless scoring.
Around him, a cast of gritty, blue-collar players-Aaron McKie, Dikembe Mutombo, Eric Snow and others-stepped up with clutch contributions throughout the postseason. They didn’t win it all, falling to the Shaq-and-Kobe-powered Lakers in five games, but they did something no one else managed that postseason: hand L.A. its only loss, and they did it on the road in Game 1 of the Finals.
That win-and that run-still resonates in Philly. It’s why Saturday’s tribute isn’t just a ceremony; it’s a celebration of a team that embodied everything the city loves: toughness, resilience, and heart.
Current Sixers players understand the weight of that legacy. Paul George, now a veteran presence on the roster, spoke about what it means to share the court on a night like this.
“It’ll be great,” George said. “Obviously, it’s a tradition here.
Being a part of the Sixers family, organization, that group means a lot to the city. It'll be awesome to kind of share the space, the moment, and play in front of them.
We want to represent them the same way that they represented the city.”
That connection between past and present isn’t lost on the younger players either. VJ Edgecombe, a rising talent who grew up in The Bahamas, may not have watched the 2001 team live, but he understands their impact. And like many young players today, he’s no stranger to learning the game’s history through YouTube-though in this case, he didn’t need to.
“I did not,” Edgecombe admitted when asked if he’d looked up the '01 team online. “But obviously, knowing the history, it's an honor to just even be a part of the team, and to get to sit there and watch guys that came before us and watch them be honored in the city, in the arena.
So, it's a blessing, man. I'm truly grateful just to be, just to be a part of it.”
For Edgecombe and the current Sixers, the goal is clear: build something that earns the same kind of love and reverence that the 2001 team still receives 25 years later. And in Philly, there’s only one way to do that-win.
“We want to win the championship,” Edgecombe said. “I feel like if we win the championship, we know the city’s gonna be behind us.
So yeah, it's great. We just want to win.
That's the main goal for our team is just win. Win and get better every day.
So, I say we want to win. We know if we win the championship, we know how it would be.”
The Sixers and Pelicans are set to tip off at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, but by halftime, the court will belong to the legends. And for the players on today’s roster, it’s a reminder that greatness in this city doesn’t fade-it gets remembered, honored, and held up as the standard.