It seems like only yesterday when Allen Iverson crossed over Tyronn Lue in the NBA Finals against the Lakers and added another highlight in his legendary career. But believe it or not, that happened 23 years ago. Arguably the greatest Sixers season, at least of this century, AI’s legendary run to the 2001 finals holds a special place in every Philly fan’s heart. And while the team has been unable to even get out of the second round since then, fans might finally get a chance to relive the nostalgia of the AI era as Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid teased a major comeback.

With Maxey inking a five-year $204 million max deal to stay in Philly, the Sixers wanted to show the guard how much he means to the franchise. To achieve that goal, they set up a special ceremony dedicated to Maxey honoring his impact on the franchise by displaying all his career achievements in a specially created ‘Maxey Museum’. Although a special moment for the kid, what caught everyone’s attention was Sixers legend Julius Erving gifting Tyrese a No. 0 jersey throwback jersey that the team wore during the Allen Iverson era in 2001 during the Eastern Conference Finals, where the Sixers won.

Seeing his name and number on the back of the iconic jersey, Maxey was left overwhelmed. “That’s hard. That’s hard.” He repeated, all excited. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid, who also showed up to the event to support Maxey in his big moment, took the gifted jersey in his hand and said, “That’s Nice.” Maybe, the former MVP wouldn’t have minded adding one of those to his closet too. With both Embiid and Maxey giving such a positive reaction to the throwback jersey, it left the NBA World wondering if the black uniform was about to make a comeback next season.

Philly fans demand the Sixers bring back the iconic jersey

As Maxey marveled at the black jersey with his name on the back, the picture instantly went viral on social media and left the fans buzzing. With so many amazing memories attached to that iconic jersey, every Sixers faithful hoped for it to return soon. Moreover, fans have been demanding it for so long that one even shared the iconic LeBron James quote after he won his first career title following a nine-year wait. “It’s about damn time.” While LBJ uttered those words after leading Miami to a title, his quote fit perfectly with the fans’ long wait to see the AI-era throwback jerseys on the court again.

Meanwhile, that was not the only thing reminding the Philly fans of the Iverson era. Even Maxey’s new look with cornrows, just like the Sixers legend, gave the fans a very nostalgic vibe. Soon, comments like “Maxey giving AI vibes 😂” and “Maxey with the straight backs 👀 MVP Caliber season incoming lol 🔥” started flooding in. Yes, with the same hairstyle, AI won his maiden MVP award back in 2001. And Maxey taking a giant leap to become a superstar this season and now replicating AI’s aura, fans expect a similar performance from him next season.

And some fans wondered how much it would economically benefit the Sixers to bring back the throwback jerseys, “That Black Maxey jersey would feed nations.” And “You drop those 90s jawns and can likely cover some salaries. Who’s sleeping at the wheel in the marketing dept? 😂”

With three max-level players on their roster in Maxey, Embiid and recently acquired Paul George, Morey has taken a major financial hit this summer. But the black jerseys with these players’ names on the back would sell like hotcakes and could easily recover some of the money that the Sixers have spent. Although nothing is official as of now, it is clear that Sixers fans would love to see their team in the old avatar.