Sixers bring some star power in unveiling new uniforms

THE 76ERS blended the old with the new, the winning of the past with the rebuilding of the present as they unveiled the team's new uniforms in front of a Wells Farco Center crowd estimated at 2,500.

Legends Allen Iverson, Billy Cunningham, Moses Malone and Bobby Jones were among the former players who spoke of the rich tradition of the organization and a fan base that they all considered the best they ever encountered.

In another attempt by the organization to bridge the gap between the glory years and the recent ones that have produced only 37 wins over the past two seasons, the players took turns at the microphone as the team tried to blend the best features of its uniforms of the glory days of the 1960s, '70s and '80s.

Malone, who came to the Sixers after winning the MVP of the NBA with the Houston Rockets in 1982, of course, led the 1983 Sixers to the NBA title. He had the best line of the night when he said: "It was Doctor J's team and Moses Malone was just a part of it. Because when I was with the Houston Rockets, I was working like LeBron [James] was working this year - by myself."

Malone went on to say: "The city is just great. Y'all just love your team and we love the fans. The one thing I noticed was that y'all know about sports. Coming here, y'all just got into it at another level, and I just loved it."

The crowd related mostly to Iverson, one of the few among the group many had seen play. As always, he spoke from the heart.

"I'm happy to just be a part of it," Iverson said. "Just being a household name in Philadelphia means so much to me. I'm from Virginia, but I'll always be Philly. This organization has meant so much to me and did so much for me to help me mature as a man."

The hope for the organization now is that the rebuilding process is successful and the glory years return.

"These guys are learning, even if they don't know it," Bobby Jones said. "They're gaining the experience of playing in tough situations. Even though they may be outmanned, it's going to help them down the road. If you look at the league now, guys don't develop in one or two years."

As for all the losing being suffered right now, Jones just can't comprehend.

"It's an experiment and we'll wait and see what happens," he said. "It's different, but I support them, and I hope that they do it. I can't imagine. When we lost two or three games in a row, we thought the world was ending. They win two or three in a row and they're on top of the world. You just have to play through it."

They will, with uniforms that will remind many of the heydays of this organization.