Restart the Meteor jersey! Are the 76ers worthy of Philadelphia s bloody sex?

As the new NBA season is about to start, the pre-season media day of each team has already made many fans feel the popularity of the new season. Among the publicity news, the official account of Philadelphia 76ers updated a message, hitting the memories of many old fans:

The Meteor jersey was coming back in the new season.

According to reports, the 76ers will re-dress the retro jersey in the 2025-26 season. For Philadelphia fans who are a little older, this is not just a jersey, but also a microcosm of an era. It symbolizes Iverson, the year of tenacity to the extreme 2001, and the unique and proud memory of Philadelphia.

In the official video, the black-tongued narration narrates the background, and the picture edits the highlights of the 76ers that year, including Iverson's breakthrough, Mutombo's block, and the moments when fans of the entire city cheer for basketball. Even though more than twenty years have passed, that passionate aura can still make many fans break the defense in an instant.

However, in addition to feelings, it is also a reminder.

For today's 76ers, retro jerseys are not just a one-time selling feelings, but more of a team's question:

Are Philadelphia worthy of this special jersey today?

For the 76ers, this jersey has a very historical status.

As a team with brilliant history, the 76ers won the first championship in team history under the leadership of Hall of Fame center Dolf Shays in 1955; in 1967, under Chamberlain, he swept the league with 68 wins and 13 losses, winning the second championship in team history. ;In the 1970s, Julius Irving joined the team, and Philadelphia once again rose to become an Eastern power. In 1983, under the leadership of Moses Malone, Philadelphia once again topped the team's third championship in history.

Three champions, three celebrities, and all three stories are perfect. This is the foundation of Philadelphia and the historical weight behind this retro jersey. And in this meteor jersey, what modern fans are most worth remembering comes from that era that belonged to Iverson.

In 1996, the small man Iverson entered the league as the No. 1 pick. At that time, Philadelphia fell into the mud after Barkley left the team. With a bleak record, Iverson's arrival brought fresh breath to this bad team, but his personal performance did not immediately win the respect of fans.

It was not until 1997 that the team ushered in a turning point. Larry Brown took over as the team's head coach, and general manager Pat Crozzi was determined to reshape the team's image, so the red and white tones of the traditional jersey were changed to black, and the team logo was decorated with shining starlight and meteor tracks. This jersey that was later recorded in history appeared.

2000-01 season was the most tearful year in the history of the Sixers.

That year, the Eastern Conference champions gathered together, the Magic gathered Hill and McGrady, the Heat sharpened their swords and the Knicks were ready to fire. As for the 76ers, they don’t have a luxurious lineup, they really only have Iverson, and a tenacious system that is extremely tough.

Starting from the start of the season, the 76ers led the Eastern Conference. Inside center Ratliff was injured in the middle of the season, and the management decisively traded to block the shot king Mutombo. In the regular season, Iverson won the regular season MVP with an average of 31.1 points per game; he led the Eastern Conference All-Star stage to reversal in the final quarter and won the All-Star MVP.

That year, the small man ignited the entire league alone.

Coming to the playoffs, the 76ers passed the hurriedly and entered the finals. Facing the peak of OK combination, almost no one in the outside world was optimistic about them, but in the first game of the finals, Iverson led the team to break through the Lakers' home court with 48 points, leaving behind that historical classic moment that crossed Tyron Lu.

Although he lost 1-4 in the end, Philadelphia won the respect of fans. It is precisely because of their resilience that all fans see the stubbornness from Philadelphia. This is the meaning of the Meteor jersey, not because it is great because it wins the championship, but because it carries a spirit of never giving in.

But back to reality, the restart of this Meteor retro jersey will inevitably give fans a cruel contrast.

Since Embiid joined in 2014, the 76ers have started reconstruction plans. From the unlimited performance to the present, Philadelphia seems to have begun to see some future prospects, but the facts they have obtained are: In the 2017-18 season, the second round was eliminated by the Celtics, and veteran Horford completely suppressed Embiid; in the 2019-20 season, the introduction of Horford was counterproductive, Simmons was injured, and the team was swept by the Celtics in the first round; in the 2020-21 season, as the number one in the Eastern Conference, he was reversed by the Hawks in the second round, and Simmons became a war criminal ;

2021-22 season, after the soap opera, Simmons exchanged Harden, but still lost to Butler's Heat in the second round;

2022-23 season, Embiid won the MVP, and although he grabbed the match point ahead of schedule, he was finally turned around by the Celtics;

2023-24 season, Philadelphia experienced a farce again, and Embiid also fell due to injury and lost to the Knicks in the first round;

2024-25 season, under the severe injury wave, the 76ers were only ranked 13th in the Eastern Conference, and even missed the play-offs;

Seven consecutive years, with continuous opportunities, they were disappointed.

And what is more ironic is that MVP Embiid has not yet entered the Eastern Conference Finals, and he is also the only MVP in NBA history who has not played in the division finals. And now the 76ers are wearing this meteor battle robe again. It is not only a passion of history, but also reminds the players who wear this jersey at all times.

Follow the current lineup, from the perspective of the player contract, the core lineups of George, Embiid and Maxi can work together for at least two more years.. What they have to do in the new season is very simple. Even if they can't become a champion team immediately, don't let Philadelphia fall into new disappointments. At least they have to play a performance worthy of the Meteor jersey.

After all, fans in this city have been waiting for too long.

Restarting the Meteor jersey is just a commercial gimmick on the surface, but from the team's perspective, it is also a historical heritage. It reminds people of Iverson and the indestructible 76 people.

But the question is, when Philadelphia players wear it again, can they bring back a trace of the bloodiness of the past?

For Philadelphia, they do not lack history or culture, and what they lack is an opportunity to make breakthroughs. The retro jersey brings back memories, but the new story still has to be written by the current 76ers.