Fans meet their heroes from the ‘unbelievable’ Allen Iverson and Donovan McNabb era

Wearing a bubble vest on top of his hoodie, Allen Iverson chucked up the peace sign as he stared into the camera through his sunglasses. As his iced-out “III” chain hung below his neck, he smiled and posed for photos with fans who had bought tickets for a meet-and-greet autograph event at Dynasty Sports in the Oxford Valley Mall in Langhorne on Saturday afternoon.

Sitting next to him was Donovan McNabb, sporting a much different look. Wearing a white polo shirt buttoned to the top of his collar and a pair of khakis, the former Eagles quarterback talked with fans as they approached him for autographs. Seeing both players together evoked memories of one of Philly’s most iconic eras in sports history.

”Man, that era was unbelievable,” said 35-year-old Philadelphia native William Nelson. “The city was united through sports. It was the most iconic time because growing up, that’s all you talked about. Allen Iverson had kids of every creed, color, race, age, wearing braids and fake tattoo arm sleeves. And McNabb just doesn’t get enough credit for what he did, making that Eagles organization what they were.”

From the late 1990s to the mid-2000s, Philadelphia became a major sports hub — with both athletes dominating in their sports. After Iverson was drafted by the 76ers with the first overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft, fans welcomed him with open arms.

“He represented grit, toughness, hard work and work ethic,” Nelson said. “And that’s what Philadelphia is.”

The 11-time NBA All-Star had early success, earning Rookie of the Year honors before he eventually led the Sixers to the NBA Finals in 2001 — winning NBA MVP in the process — before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.

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Meanwhile, McNabb led the Birds to eight playoff appearances, including five straight from 2000-04, five division titles, nine postseason wins, and a Super Bowl appearance in the 2004 season — when he was named NFC Player of the Year — before losing to the New England Patriots.

Despite his success, McNabb didn’t get the same warm welcome as Iverson. He was booed when he was selected second overall in the 1999 NFL draft largely because a local media outlet had led a campaign to draft running back Ricky Williams. All of this is water under the bridge, especially for 44-year-old John Rosselli.

Rosselli arrived five hours early to Dynasty Sports’ grand opening that featured Philly legends McNabb, Iverson, DeSean Jackson, and Michael Vick. Sporting an Iverson “more than basketball” shirt and holding his green McNabb shirt, he recalled his favorite memory of the quarterback, which took place in 2002 — when McNabb suffered a broken ankle in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals and stayed in the game to throw four touchdown passes.

“I think with the talent [McNabb] had, people didn’t give him the respect he deserves, but in my opinion he’s the best quarterback the Eagles ever had,” Rosselli said. “When we started McNabb, he kind of put the Eagles back on the map. We were such a beta team and then him coming into his rookie year, doing what he did all them years, and making the Eagles relevant again was huge. And then Allen Iverson was just again a staple to the city.”

Iverson’s impact on the league was transcendent. He revolutionized the way players dressed and carried themselves on and off the court. He also inspired others to want to be like him, including 35-year-old Cory Lloyd and his brother Michael.

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“He had me and my brother practicing our crossover all day long, all summer,” Cory said.

Cory’s mother, Kathy Roberts, 58, remembers taking the two to see their first NBA game after moving from Hawaii. Since that moment, both boys wanted to have cornrows, including for Cory’s senior prom.

“They were just blown away by how he played, so they mimicked him,” Roberts added.

After he was diagnosed with a genetic condition called Leber hereditary optic neuropathy in 2013, Cory was left visually impaired. But that doesn’t stop him from reliving Iverson’s greatest moments.

“I’m glad that when I could see 20/20, I watched Iverson,” Cory said. “I still have the highlight reels of Iverson killing it on the court replaying through my mind night in and night out.”

Despite retiring in 2013, Iverson is still inspiring the next generation of fans. Calvin Carter Sr. introduced his 8-year-old son, Calvin Jr., to some highlight reels in the morning before the signing.

» READ MORE: Donovan McNabb Jr., the son of the former Eagles quarterback, is making a name for himself

“We were just in line and I said, ‘Hey, do you know Allen Iverson?’ And he was like, ‘No,’” Carter Sr. said. “So, I said, ‘You want to see some YouTube videos?’ He saw the dunks, he saw the crossovers, the three-pointers. He got really excited by those videos and I said, ‘Yeah, he was about my size.’ He was 6-foot but he was really strong and he didn’t shy away from the big moments.”

While some children were getting introduced to the Sixers legend by their parents, others were finding out who he was through YouTube. Eight-year-old Avren Shah went up to his father, Samir, one day and started naming old-school basketball players — including his favorite player, Iverson. When the Chicago natives found out about the event, they knew they had to fly in and meet him.

“We flew all the way from Chicago last night to come to this event because he’s a huge A.I. fan,” Samir said. “I’m not a Philly fan, I’m a Chicago fan, but he’s been a huge fan of A.I. We saw this opportunity and knew he had to meet him.”

Dylan Mendelsohn, 12, knew Iverson played for the Sixers, and that he was one of his father’s favorite players and wore No. 3 — which happens to be Mendelsohn’s favorite number. Meanwhile, 10-year-old Justice Simpson listed a number of Iverson’s accolades.

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“He won MVP,” Simpson said. “He didn’t win the championship but he made it to the chip and lost to Kobe and Shaq, and what he’s famous for is that crossover on Michael Jordan.”

When asked who his favorite Sixers player of all time is, he responded, “Allen Iverson.”

Although the Sixers great has been out of the league for 15 years, his legacy lives on as he continues to inspire the next generation of athletes.