Ma$e has taken issue with the recently unveiled statue of Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson, noting that “they need a do over.”
Money Ma$e shared his thoughts about NBA’s latest honor on the Monday (April 15) episode of It Is What It Is, which he co-hosts with fellow rap veteran Cam’ron.
“They better not have messed AI’s statue up,” he said, unaware that people have been clowning the installment located at the team’s practice facility for looking more like a trophy than a statue due to its size.
“If there’s anybody’s statue they can’t mess up, it’s AI, because when you doing Kobe [Bryant] and all those people, they’re so beloved but they’re so tall,” he continued. “[Iverson] is six feet, six-one, and if they don’t get it right, it look like every n-gga from the hood
“I don’t know if there’s ever been a statue do-over, but by this picture, they need to do a statue do-over […] He shoulda been able to check that and been like, ‘Naw, that’s not the one I want.’ Like Kobe, before he died, he picked the statue he wanted and his wife said, ‘This the one that he wanted.’ I know AI won’t have approved of no statue that’s shorter than he is.”
Listen to Ma$e discuss the statue at the 52:50 mark below:
Though a lot of people have expressed their qualms about the statue, another separate tribute to Allen Iverson went much better.
In March, The Game, Quavo and many other celebrities gave the basketball legend his flowers after he had a street named after him in Hampton, Virginia.
Soon after, the retired athlete shared the news while offering up some photos from the event.
“Virginia we did it! Look how far we came!” he captioned the post. “I’m blessed to be here to see it! Thank you God and to everyone who took this journey with me! There’s no ME without YOU. I Love Yall!!”
Hip Hop’s luminaries wasted no time in saluting the All-Star hooper in the comments.
“The greatest!!!!” wrote the Migos rapper, while The Game responded with two raised hands emojis next to a fire emoji.
In recent months, Iverson has been getting his long-overdue flowers and has seen a resurgence in his popularity.
During an episode of Complex‘s “Sneaker Shopping” series last month, Shaquille O’ Neal and AI (who have taken on the newly-created positions of president and vice president of basketball, respectively, at Reebok) shared that they would like to see rappers’ early-aughts Reebok collaborations return to stores, and that they’ll be reaching out to those concerned to try and make it happen.
Host Joe La Puma kicked off the conversation, describing JAY-Z’s Super Bowl outfit.
“JAY-Z pulled up to the Super Bowl in the S Dots [the rapper’s 2003 S. Carter Reebok shoe], which really went crazy online. No one expected to see S Dots, and then we had a podcast talking about it. You know what a lot of the comments said? JAY-Z wore them because of his connection with Shaq and AI. Are you guys taking credit for that moment?”
Shaq responded: “We know JAY-Z. JAY-Z if you’re watching, we wanna holler at you.”
Iverson added: “That’s right.”
I don’t know if Mase is talking about the actual face on the statue because we all know 65% of the time it’s somebody uncle and not the person being honored. as far as the size that’s the size of the athletes statues in Philly they don’t do the life size statues there
NBA. Has players above the laws. If they can have a statue on Allen Iverson, they can also rename the 33rd street near Madison square garden, after Patrick Ewing who does way much better then Allen. Merci
Honestly I think people need to quit complaining including Mr. Iverson what’s it matter and to be honest that was free to him a gift of the NBA not something you just return if I were the people in charge and told it’s not good enough I’d just take it down and never put one back they wehere pay tribute to him for success and given a statue to pay tribute to that it’s doesn’t matter how big the statue is they suggested not to put one up at all and to be honest I won’t be surprised if they ever do it again for any player is down right disgraceful to be so ungrateful about something like that it’s a gift not something you just say no thank you I don’t like it make it bigger what do you mean that’s the problem with people of his stature they become ungrateful and to be honest he’s right take it down and never put one up a again he was ungrateful day one let’s not forget that on and off court he’s always been an entitled asshole that’s probably why they took so long anyway complaints are like assholes anyway and Allen Iverson sits on one and he has is under his nose whiny ungrateful bastard to think he’s the reason has a young kid I started watching basketball and then later on I found out he’s been this way his whole career and during retirement because of him the NBA has lost a fan to the game and I won’t teach or show my son how to play it either because of Allen Iverson and his ungratefulness towards such a great honor
Dude you sound like a freaking idiot!! I’m not even a 76er fan but I am a Allen Iverson fan, his statue should be big as the rest, Allen gave so much of himself to the game as well as the team, it was Allen who brought the shooter’s sleeve on the arm but must of all the famous cross over, he was only 6-1 and played with the injuries of a professional football player, it was an insult to give a trophy size statue, dude reading your comment, you need to lay on the leather couch and tell the person with the white smock on your issues, your taking the issue with Allen Iverson way to personal, and your forgetting no one is without flaws, even you have them.