“Allen Iverson was never surrounded by the best”: Damian Lillard on growing up idolizing the Sixers legend and facing a similar situation in Portland

Blazers superstar Damian Lillard confesses being a huge Allen Iverson fan and how the Hall of Famer inspired him in many ways.

One of the biggest game-changers in the NBA, Allen Iverson, inspired an entire era of hoop fans across the globe. At the time, there was no place for a player AI’s size standing slightly above 6-feet. It was a big man’s league with the bully ball being the 3-pointer of today.

Nonetheless, Iverson’s fearless attitude and skillset helped him carve a niche for himself, being an inspiration for many. However, it wasn’t only his on-court performance that impressed the masses. The former MVP brought what we now call swagger and drip to the league.

Thus earning the designation of a cultural icon, The Answer’s outfits and heavy jewelry became a talking point, inspired heavily by the hip-hop culture at the time. Iverson was not ready to shed off his image of being a boy from the hood.

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During a recent appearance on the Club Shay Shay podcast, Blazers guard Damian Lillard spoke about idolizing Iverson and how he tried to imbibe the latter’s swag.

Damian Lillard aspires to have Allen Iverson’s mentality.

The Answer paved the way for small guards in the league, who didn’t have the size but came with an incredible skill set. The four-time scoring champion made equal if not more noise off the court than on the hardwood with his antics.

Too many, his off-court personality seemed more attractive than his play on the court. Iverson didn’t play with the best of talents but was able to carve his niche, very similar to Lillard’s situation in Portland. Thus it was no surprise when the Blazers guard confessed to idolizing AI while growing up.

“When I was a kid, I was a big Iverson fan. And it’s crazy because it wasn’t the details of his actual games as much as it was his swag, like him being one of the smallest players, and AI was one of the few people that gave me the energy of the people I was around, said Lillard.”

The six-time All-Star told Shannon Sharpe about how he related to Iverson.

“Allen Iverson felt like he could be from my neighborhood, like tattoos the braids, he wore tall Ts, he was sagging, the way he spoke, it was like I knew his type. He was never surrounded by all the best. But he was with whatever, against whoever.”

Lillard spoke about how people in his neighborhood played 1 v 1 for $100 and a pair of Iversons that was the impact AI had on Dame Time’s generation. Dame, who plays for the Blazers, finds a lot of similarities between his and Iverson’s careers.

Just like AI, Lillard is the best player on his team without being surrounded by the best talents. The Blazers guard has a similar body frame to AI, even having similar ball handling and shooting skills.

Also read: “Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Magic Johnson”: Damian Lillard names the four legends on his version of the NBA’s Mt Rushmore

Currently recovering from an abdominal injury, Blazers fans will have to wait for the next season to kick off to see their favorite baller.