76ers President Chris Heck Apologizes After Controversial Interview

Philadelphia 76ers President Chris Heck has become public enemy number one for the team's fan base this week. It all started on Tuesday when the Sixers revealed the team's City Edition uniforms.

For a week, Heck, Ben Simmons, and Allen Iverson have promoted the reveal of the uniforms, which many believed were going to resemble the Sixers' black uniforms from the 2001 Finals season. Being that Iverson was part of the promotion, and 2021 marks the 20-year anniversary since the team's last Finals run, it all made sense.

The 76ers rolled out the new-look black jerseys on Tuesday, but it wasn't what everybody expected. Rather than putting together a re-make of the Iverson-era threads, the Sixers created a never-before-seen jersey design containing red, blue, and black with a white outline of the famous Boathouse Row landmark in Philly.

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Being that the jerseys were a surprisingly different look than what many expected, fans expressed their frustration with the outcome via social media. Then, a few days later, Heck participated in an interview with Uni Watch to defend the design. Comments made during the interview set the Sixers' fan base off even more.

"We actually don’t use the term 'Philly,' because we think it’s lazy and undersells the city," Heck said in the interview. "Sometimes I think 'blue-collar' does the same thing. We refer to it as 'New Philadelphia.' Blue-collar is important for the city, but it’s not the only component. New Philadelphia is about the arts, it’s about culture, it’s about education, it’s about diversity. We like that narrative more than the blue-collar hockey thing. Which isn’t a slight on it, but we think we’re more than blue-collar.

After spending the day receiving criticism for his comments on social media, Heck took the time to apologize on Twitter for the misunderstanding. "I’m sorry for my comments to UniWatch," Heck wrote. "Clearly, I missed the mark. My intention was to highlight the incredible things happening here & showcase the pride we have for Philadelphia. I love this city and truly believe we have the best fans in sports. No other place comes close."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_