"I became a man in Philadelphia" - Allen Iverson hails 76ers' fanbase and sheds light on franchise's culture

Allen Iverson is undoubtedly one of the greatest, most iconic and influential players to ever step foot on a basketball court.

Iverson spent parts of 12 of his 14 seasons in the NBA as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, carving a Hall of Fame career in the process.

Iverson recently discussed his relationship with the city of Philadelphia while speaking at a Fanatics Live event, stating:

"My experience in signing autographs and doing memorabilia and stuff like that, that's when you really get to see the nature of the true fans that really love you.

"Not screaming when you are on top of the world and you're Allen Iverson the MVP, scoring titles and, you know, when you're playing, but when it's all over, the love is still there.

"That's why I love Philadelphia so much. I became a man in Philadelphia. I was 21 years old when I got there. As far as an athlete and a fanbase, there's no other relationship like mine with the people of Philadelphia.

"My man cave is everything. For me to come down and you never forget. You get that feeling when you walk down there in a man cave and you look around and you see all those jerseys and the guys that you looked up to because I'm the biggest sports fan in the world."

Check out Allen Iverson's comments on his relationship with Philadelphia below:

we could listen to @alleniverson talk about Philadelphia for days. 🤝🐐 pic.twitter.com/JWCSz8SXzD

How did Allen Iverson perform in his NBA career?

Allen Iverson was selected No. 1 by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1996 NBA Draft, which went down as one of the most iconic and deepest draft classes in NBA history. Iverson finished his career averaging 26.7 points per game, 3.7 rebounds per game, 6.2 assists per game, 2.2 steals per game and 0.2 blocks per game.

He was named to 11 All-Star teams and seven All-NBA teams, while also winning the 1996-1997 Rookie of the Year award, the 2000-2001 NBA MVP award and two All-Star game MVP awards. Furthermore, Iverson won four scoring titles and three steals titles.

Following his iconic career, he was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2016. He was also named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team.

Furthermore, Iverson's impact transcended the game as he became a cultural icon. The 76ers legend inspired many of the stars of today's NBA.

Known for his iconic cornrows, tattoos, sleeves, and crossovers, Iverson was able to set many trends both around the NBA world and outside of it.